Inter-American Court of Human Rights Case of Las Palmeras v. Colombia Judgment of December 6, 2001 (Merits) In the Las Palmeras case, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (hereinafter “the Court” or “the InterAmerican Court”), composed of the following judges∗: Antônio A. Cançado Trindade, President; Máximo Pacheco Gómez, Vice President; Hernán Salgado Pesantes, Judge; Alirio Abreu Burelli, Judge; Sergio García Ramírez, Judge, and Julio A. Barberis, Judge ad hoc; also present∗∗, Manuel E. Ventura Robles, Secretary, pursuant to articles 29 and 55 of its Rules of Procedure (hereinafter “the Rules of Procedure”), delivers the following judgment on the merits of the matter in dispute between the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter “the Commission” or “the Inter-American Commission”) and the State of Colombia (hereinafter “the State” or “Colombia”). I INTRODUCTION OF THE CASE 1. The Inter-American Commission submitted this case to the Court via an application dated July 6, 1998, based on a complaint (No. 11,237) received at its Secretariat and dated Bogota, January 27, 1994. 2. In its application, the Inter-American Commission explained the facts upon which its case was based. On January 23, 1991, the Putumayo Departmental Police Commander ordered members of the National Police to conduct an armed operation in a place known as ∗ Judge Carlos Vicente de Roux Rengifo, a Colombian national, disqualified himself in the present case. Judge Oliver Jackman informed the Court that for reasons beyond his control, he would be unable to be present for the Court’s LIII regular session. Hence he did not participate in the deliberations on this case and did not sign the present Judgment. ∗∗ The Deputy Secretary, Pablo Saavedra Alessandri, disqualified himself in the present case because, prior to taking up his present position with the Court, he had served as assistant for the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights in this case.