This case is about one of the most notorious events in modern Colombian history. In 1985, the Palace of Justice, Colombia's Supreme Court, was stormed and seized by members of the M-19 guerilla group. State security forces used disproportionate and excessive force in their fight to retake the Palace of Justice. As a result, many hostages in the building were killed by the use of automatic weapons, grenades, bombs, and the fires that ensued. Further, once the Palace of Justice had been retaken, special forces detained many innocent survivors, and transferred them to military locations, where they were tortured, beaten, and ultimately executed. The Court found that the State violated the American Convention, the Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture, and the Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons.
Case Summary: Rodríguez Vera et al. (Missing Persons of the Palace of Justice) v. Colombia