adopt several measures of reparation and to provide reimbursement for costs and expenses. 6. Answer brief – On May 20, 2013, the State presented its brief of preliminary objections, its answer to the submission of the case and observations to the brief of pleadings and motions (hereinafter “answer brief”). Regarding the merits of the case, the State argued that it was not responsible for any of the violations alleged. It appointed Mr. Rodrigo José Villagrán Sandoval as its Agent and notified the Court of the appointment of Mr. Antonio Arenales Forno as the new President of the Presidential Commission for the Coordination of Human Rights Policies (COPREDEH). 7. Observations to the preliminary objections – On August 28 and 30, 2013, the representatives and the Commission, respectively, submitted their observations to the preliminary objections. 8. Public hearing – By means of an Order issued by the President of the Court on December 20, 2013, the Inter-American Commission, the representatives and the State were summoned to a public hearing to present their final oral observations and final oral arguments, respectively, on the preliminary objections and possible merits, reparations and costs. In said Order, the Court required the statements, rendered by affidavit, of a witness proposed by the State and of an expert witness and a deponent summoned for information purposes, proposed by the representatives. The representatives and the State had an opportunity to ask questions and make observations to the deponents offered by the counterpart. The Court also summoned an alleged victim proposed by the representatives, a witness proposed by the State and an expert witness proposed by the Commission to testify at the public hearing. The public hearing took place on February 5, 2014, at the seat of the Court during its 102nd Regular Period of Sessions. 3 9. Evidence to facilitate adjudication – On February 14, 2014, the Court’s Secretariat sent a note to the parties and to the Commission requesting documentation as evidence to facilitate adjudication. This evidence was submitted on February 28, 2014. 10. Final written arguments and observations – On March 3, 2014, the State submitted its final written arguments. On March 5, 2014, the representatives and the Commission submitted their final written arguments and observations, respectively. On that occasion the representatives presented new arguments in relation to the preliminary objections presented by the State and the reparations requested in the pleadings and motions brief (supra para. 5), and the Commission presented new arguments concerning B.A.´s status as a human rights defender. These new arguments are extemporaneous and, therefore, they will not be taken into consideration. Likewise, the representatives submitted various documents concerning, inter alia, the expenses incurred after the presentation of the brief of pleadings and motions. 11. Observations to the evidence to facilitate adjudication and attachments to the final arguments of the representatives – On March 21 and 26, 2014, the State and the Commission submitted, respectively, their observations to the evidence to facilitate adjudication and to the attachments submitted by the representatives with their final written arguments. On March 26, 2014, the representatives submitted their observations to the evidence presented by the State to facilitate adjudication. III JURISDICTION 12. The Inter-American Court has jurisdiction to hear this case under the terms of Article 62(3) of the American Convention, given that Guatemala has been a State Party to the Convention since May 25, 1978 and accepted the Court’s binding jurisdiction on March 9, 1987. 3 The following persons appeared at the hearing: a) for the Inter-American Commission: José de Jesús Orozco H., President of the Commission; Elizabeth Abi-Mershed, Deputy Executive Secretary; Silvia Serrano Guzmán and Jorge Meza Flores, Legal Advisors; b) for the representatives of the presumed victims: Claudia Virginia Samayoa Pineda; David Augusto Dávila Navarro; Ángela Méndez Izquierdo, and Luisa Isabel Pineda, and c) for the State: Rodrigo José Villagrán Sandoval, Agent; César Javier Moreira Cabrera, Legal Advisor, and Francisca Marroquín, Legal Advisor. 6