The Barrancabermeja Massacre The events occurring in the Colombian city of Barrancabermeja on May 16 and 17, 1998, involved the murder of seven (7) individuals and the disappearance of some 25 others. The corresponding criminal investigation was performed by the Human Rights Unit of the Prosecutor General's Office and is currently in the pre-trial phase. Within the context of this investigation, one (1) person has been arrested under preventive detention, and warrants for the arrest of two (2) others have been issued for the purpose of allowing their testimony to be heard. The disciplinary investigation is being performed by the Delegate Attorney General's Office for Human Rights and has resulted in the formulation of charges against nine (9) public servants. These facts are a material burden for the Special Case Committee, created through Legal Decree 2429 of 1998 by the Vice President of the Republic of Colombia. The Case of Human Rights Defender Jesús María Valle-Jaramillo The death of Jesús María Valle-Jaramillo in the city of Medellin, Colombia, on February 27, 1998, caused a criminal investigation to be opened in the Medellin Regional Division of Prosecutors. Seven (7) individuals have been implicated, four (4) of whom are being held in preventive detention without bail. Arrest warrants have been issued for the remaining three (3), including Carlos Castaño-Gil -leader of the so-called self-defense groups-. The Case of Human Rights Defender Eduardo Umaña-Mendoza On the murder of Eduardo Umaña-Mendoza in the city of Santa Fe de Bogota, Colombia, on April 18, 1998, the Human Rights Unit of the Prosecutor General's Office is currently involved in a criminal investigation. Seven (7) individuals have been implicated to the case, five (5) of which have been held under preventive detention without bail.