Inter-American Court of Human Rights Case of the “White Van” (Paniagua-Morales et al.) v. Guatemala Judgment of March 8 1998 (Merits) In the Paniagua Morales et al. case, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, composed of the following judges1: Hernán Salgado-Pesantes, President, Antônio A. Cançado Trindade, Vice-President Héctor Fix-Zamudio, Judge Alejandro Montiel-Argüello, Judge Máximo Pacheco-Gómez, Judge Alirio Abreu-Burelli, Judge, and Edgar E. Larraondo-Salguero, Judge ad hoc; also present, Manuel E. Ventura-Robles, Secretary, and Víctor M. Rodríguez-Rescia, Interim Deputy Secretary, pursuant to Articles 29 and 55 of the Rules of Procedure of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (hereinafter "the Court" or "the Inter-American Court"), renders the following Judgment in the instant case. I INTRODUCTION OF THE CASE 1 Judge Oliver Jackman abstained from hearing this case because he had participate at various stages during its processing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights when he was a member of that Commission. Judges Héctor Fix-Zamudio and Alejandro Montiel-Argüello sat on the Court pursuant to the provisions of Article 54(3) of the American Convention on Human Rights, whereby the judges of the Court shall continue to serve with regard to cases that they have begun to hear and that are still pending.