5 [...] 4. Article 1(1) of the Convention establishes the duty of the States party to respect the rights and liberties recognized in that treaty and to ensure their free and full exercise by all persons under their jurisdiction. 5. The background information provided by the Commission in its request (supra Having Seen 2, 3 4 and 7) demonstrate prima facie the existence of a situation of extreme gravity and urgency regarding the life, the right to humane treatment and freedom of expression of journalists Marta Colomina and Liliana Velásquez. 6. The aim of provisional measures, in national legal systems (domestic procedural law), in general, is to preserve the rights of the parties to a dispute, ensuring that the judgment on the merits is not hindered by their actions pendente lite. 7. The aim of urgent and provisional measures, in International Human Rights Law, goes further because, in addition to their essentially preventive nature, they effectively protect fundamental rights, insofar as they seek to avoid irreparable damage to persons. 8. It is the responsibility of the State to adopt security measures to protect all persons under their jurisdiction, and this duty becomes even more evident with respect to those involved in proceedings before the protection bodies of the American Convention. 9. The Court has examined the facts and circumstances that gave rise to the July 30, 2003 Order of the President (supra Having Seen 5), which it ratifies because it finds that it is in accordance with the law and with the merits in the proceedings. 10. To date, the State has not submitted the urgent report required by the July 30, 2003 Order of the President regarding measures adopted to effectively insure the life, the right to humane treatment and freedom of expression of journalists Marta Colomina and Liliana Velásquez. 11. Non-compliance by the State is especially grave due to the juridical nature of urgent measures and provisional measures, seeking to prevent irreparable damage to persons in situations of extreme gravity and urgency. 12. The provision set forth in Article 63(2) of the Convention makes it mandatory for the State to adopt the provisional measures ordered by this Court, because the basic principle of law regarding the responsibility of the State, backed by international case law, has established that the States must comply in good faith with their treaty obligations (pacta sunt servanda). 13. The State also has the obligation to investigate the facts that gave rise to this request for provisional measures, with the aim of identifying those responsible and punishing them as appropriate. NOW THEREFORE: