Inter-American Court of Human Rights Case of the Pueblo Bello Massacre v. Colombia Judgment of January 31, 2006 (Merits, Reparations and Costs) In the Case of the Pueblo Bello Massacre , the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (hereinafter “the Inter-American Court” or “the Court”), composed of the following judges: Sergio García Ramírez, President Alirio Abreu Burelli, Vice President Oliver Jackman, Judge Antônio A. Cançado Trindade, Judge Cecilia Medina Quiroga, Judge Manuel E. Ventura Robles, Judge Diego García-Sayán, Judge, and Juan Carlos Esguerra Portocarrero, Judge ad hoc, also present, Pablo Saavedra Alessandri, Secretary, and Emilia Segares Rodríguez, Deputy Secretary; pursuant to Articles 62(3) and 63(1) of the American Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter “the Convention” or “the American Convention”) and with Articles 29, 31, 56 and 58 of the Rules of Procedure of the Court (hereinafter “the Rules of Procedure”), delivers the following judgment. I INTRODUCTION OF THE CASE 1. On March 23, 2004, in accordance with the provisions of Articles 50 and 61 of the American Convention, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter “the Commission” or “the Inter-American Commission”) filed before the Court an application against the State of Colombia (hereinafter “the State” or “Colombia”), originating from petitions Nos. 10,566 and 11,748, received by the Secretariat of the Commission on February 12, 1990, and May 5, 1997, respectively. 2. The Commission lodged the application for the Court to decide whether the State had violated the rights embodied in Articles 4 (Right to Life), 5 (Right to Humane Treatment), 7 (Right to Personal Liberty) and 19 (Rights of the Child) in relation to the obligations established in Article 1(1) (Obligation to Respect Rights) thereof, to the detriment of the purported victims of the alleged massacre perpetrated in the village of Pueblo Bello, described in the application. The Commission also asked the Court to decide whether the State had violated Articles 8(1) (Right to a Fair Trial) and 25 (Judicial Protection) of the American Convention,