25 the Armed Forces Transmissions Training Center.”71 The civilian population called the operation the “ring invasion,” “because they moved in so as to create a military fence, preventing their objectives from fleeing.” When the operation started, the civilian population immediately took refuge in the mountains, trying to hide from the soldiers.72 65. The State has acknowledged that, on August 25, 1982, the civilian population that was trying to take refuge in “La Conacastada” was discovered and shot at indiscriminately by military personnel. The Contreras Recinos family was part of this group. While they were fleeing, the soldiers caught up with their three children. In the words of María Maura Contreras: “the deponent had Julia Inés in her arms; she could not carry Gregoria and Serapio [who] had fallen a little behind and […] on trying to climb a small mound she dropped Julia Inés […]; also she could see that they had already caught up with Gregoria because they were pulling her by the hair, and they had also caught Serapio Cristian.”73 At the time of the facts, Gregoria Herminia was four years and three months old, Serapio Cristian, one year and eight months, and Julia Inés, four months. 66. Once the operation was over, the civilian population regrouped and began the search for those who had disappeared.74 Mrs. Contreras and Mr. Recinos returned to the place where they had last seen their children but “they did not find them either alive or dead.”75 Subsequently, they learned that their children had been seen at a military post in Río Frío canton, to the north of the municipality of Tecoluca, as the State has acknowledged. 67. Mrs. Contreras took various steps to find her children.76 In 1986, she went to search for them and denounced the situation to “[t]he Red Cross, the Diario de Hoy, CRIPDES, COMADRES, the El Salvador Human Rights Commission,” and eventually she contacted the Search Association.77 In May 1996, the El Salvador Ombudsman’s Office (hereinafter also “the Ombudsman’s Office) opened an investigation following a complaint filed by the Search Association (infra para. 134). On October 16, 2002, María Maura Contreras filed an application for habeas corpus before the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice in favor of her children (infra para. 159). 68. To date, the whereabouts of Serapio Cristian and Julia Inés Contreras are unknown. On December 13, 2006, the Search Association issued a press release reporting on the 71 Decision issued by the Ombudsman’s Office, supra note 70 (evidence file, volume III, attachment 15 to the application, folios 2230 and 2231), and Decision issued by the Constitutional Chamber, supra note 70 (evidence file, volume III, attachment 13 to the application, folio 2189). 72 Cf. Decision issued by the Ombudsman’s Office, supra note 70 (evidence file, volume III, attachment 15 to the application, folio 2205). Similarly, see Decision issued by the Constitutional Chamber, supra note 70. 73 Statement made by María Maura Contreras, supra note 68. 74 Cf. Decision issued by the Constitutional Chamber, supra note 70 and Decision issued by the Ombudsman’s Office, supra note 70 (evidence file, volume III, attachment 15 to the application, folio 2207). 75 Statement made by Fermín Recinos, supra note 68 (evidence file, volume XI, affidavits, folio 7522), and Statement made by María Maura Contreras, supra note 68 (evidence file, volume XI, affidavits, folio 7512). 76 Cf. Statement made by Fermín Recinos, supra note 68 (evidence file, volume XI, affidavits, folio 7522); Statement made by María Maura Contreras, supra note 68 (evidence file, volume XI, affidavits, folio 7512), and Publication of the Human Rights Commission of El Salvador (evidence file, volume III, attachment 14 to the application, folios 2193 and 2194). 77 7512). Cf. Statement made by María Maura Contreras, supra note 68 (evidence file, volume XI, affidavits, folio