McCANN AND OTHERS v. THE UNITED KINGDOM JUDGMENT 36 Articles 9 to 17 contain a series of detailed requirements that should be observed by investigative procedures into such deaths. PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE COMMISSION 141. The applicants lodged their application (no. 18984/91) with the Commission on 14 August 1991. They complained that the killings of Daniel McCann, Mairead Farrell and Sean Savage by members of the SAS (Special Air Service) constituted a violation of Article 2 (art. 2) of the Convention. 142. On 3 September 1993 the Commission declared the applicants’ complaint admissible. In its report of 4 March 1994 (Article 31) (art. 31), it expressed the opinion that there had been no violation of Article 2 (art. 2) (eleven votes to six). The full text of the Commission’s opinion and of the three dissenting opinions contained in the report is reproduced as an annex to this judgment 3. FINAL SUBMISSIONS TO THE COURT 143. The Government submitted that the deprivations of life to which the applications relate were justified under Article 2 para. 2 (a) (art. 2-2-a) as resulting from the use of force which was no more than absolutely necessary in defence of the people of Gibraltar from unlawful violence and the Court was invited to find that the facts disclosed no breach of Article 2 (art. 2) of the Convention in respect of any of the three deceased. 144. The applicants submitted that the Government have not shown beyond reasonable doubt that the planning and execution of the operation was in accordance with Article 2 para. 2 (art. 2-2) of the Convention. Accordingly, the killings were not absolutely necessary within the meaning of this provision (art. 2-2). 3 Note by the Registrar: for practical reasons this annex will appear only with the printed version of the judgment (volume 324 of Series A of the Publications of the Court), but a copy of the Commission's report is available from the registry.