18 A. Recruitment and death of the minor Gerardo Vargas-Areco 71(1) Gerardo Vargas-Areco, born in the city of Bella Vista Norte, department of Concepción, Paraguay, on November 6, 1973, was the son of Pedro Vargas and De Belén Areco. His siblings are Juan, María Elisa, Patricio, Daniel, Doralicia, Mario, María Magdalena, Sebastián and Jorge Ramón, all of them members of the VargasAreco family. 71(2) On January 26, 1989, when Gerardo was 15 years old, he was recruited into military service in the Paraguayan Armed Forces. During the first months in service, he was stationed in Air Force Regiment “Silvio Pettirossi” of Campo Grande, Luque, and in November 1989, he was transferred to “Urundey” Joint Task Force, II Infantry Division of Villarrica, Guairá. 71(3) Around November 10, 1989, while in military service at Villarrica military post, the minor Vargas-Areco was granted a leave of absence to visit his family. After said leave, he decided not to return to the military post and a noncommissioned officer appeared at his home and took him back to the post, where he was punished for failing to return to service after his leave. 71(4) On December 1989, the minor Vargas-Areco was granted a five-day leave to visit his family. At the end of said leave, the minor decided again not to return to the military post; therefore, also in this opportunity a non-commissioned officer appeared at his home and took him back to the military base in Villarrica. 71(5) On December 30, 1989, while Vargas-Areco was under arrest as a punishment for failing to return voluntarily and timely to the Villarrica post, he suffered a nasal bleeding. Around 9:00 p.m. that day, a military officer ordered a non-commissioned officer to transfer the minor Vargas-Areco to the infirmary of the military post, where the bleeding was controlled. 71(6) On the way to the infirmary, the minor Vargas-Areco ran away, allegedly to flee from the post and the punishment imposed upon him. The minor was shot to death from behind by the escorting non-commissioned officer who saw him escape. 71(7) The dead body of the minor Vargas-Areco was found at 6:00 a.m. on December 31, 1989, almost 100 meters away from the infirmary of the military post. The removal of the dead body was carried out by a forensic physician, Dr. David Obregón, who stated that the cause of death was “acute bleeding due to a gunshot wound” and specified that the bullet reached the body on the back through the chest. The description was as follows: Acute bleeding resulting from large-bore gunshot wound on right hemi thorax with entry orifice on dorsal area and exit orifice on front area of the thorax. The entry orifice had no scar tattoo. The examination of the rest of the body, from top to finish, did not reveal any other injury. 71(8) On December 31, 1989, the dead body of the minor Gerardo Vargas-Areco was taken in an Air Force plane to its hometown, Bella Vista, and delivered to his mother by a non-commissioned officer of the Paraguayan Army under express orders not to open the sealed coffin. 71(9) At the request of the relatives, the Justice of Peace of Bella Vista authorized to perform a medical examination on the corpse, which was carried out on January 1,