5 b) “Adopt such measures as may be necessary to prevent a recurrence of such events. Those measures should include (i) implementation of permanent programs on human rights and international humanitarian law at military training colleges; (ii) strengthening of institutional capacities to investigate the gross human rights violations that occurred during the internal armed conflict and (iii) adoption of effective mechanisms to address intimidation and harassment of legal operators, victims, and witnesses in the framework of those investigations.” c) Notification to the State. The Commission informed that the Merits Report was notified to the State on June 21, 2016, granting it two months to report on compliance of the recommendations. The Commission stated that it had been informed of a “rapprochement” between the State and the petitioner, but that the latter requested that the case be submitted to the Court and Guatemala did not request suspension of the period set out in Article 51 of the Convention. 3. Submission to the Court. On September 21, 2016, the Commission submitted to the Court “the totality of the facts and violations” described in the Merits Report. 1 4. Requests of the Commission. Based on the foregoing, the Commission requested that the Court conclude and declare the State’s international responsibility for the violations contained in its Merits Report and that it order that the State, as measures of reparation, comply with the recommendations included in that Report. II. PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE COURT 5. Notification to the State and to the representative. The submission of the case was notified to the State and to the representative of the alleged victims 2 on January 24 and 30, 2017, respectively. 6. Brief with pleadings, motions, and evidence. On March 31, 2017, the representative presented, pursuant to Articles 25 and 40 of the Rules of the Court, its brief with pleadings, motions, and evidence (hereinafter “brief with pleadings and motions”) that substantially coincided with the arguments of the Commission and that requested the Court to declare the State’s international responsibility for violating the same articles of the Convention that the Commission indicated (supra para. 2). It also alleged the violation to private property. Finally, it requested that it order that the State adopt diverse measures of reparation and reimburse costs and expenses. 7. Answering brief. On July 3, 2017, the State presented its answering brief 3 to the submission of the case by the Commission and its observations to the brief with pleadings and motions. It denied the alleged violations and responded to the requests for reparation. The Commission stated that it did so “in view of the absence of full reparation” and the “need to obtain justice.” 2 Through a series of communications between the Court’s Secretariat and the persons and organizations connected to those who had acted as petitioners (supra para. 2), the representation of the alleged victims in the case was resolved. By communications of January 6, 2017, addressed to those persons and organizations, the Secretariat informed that “following instructions of the President of the Court […] the sole representative of the alleged victims, for the pertinent effects related to the proceedings of the case before the Court […], will be the Mutual Support Group (GAM).” 3 On February 13, 2017, the State appointed Víctor Hugo Godoy Morales and María José Ortiz Samayoa as its Agents. On September 26, 2017, Guatemala informed of the appointment of Jorge Luis Borrayo Reyes as the new President of the Presidential Commission on the Coordination of Human Rights Policy for the Executive 1