11 30. On December 9, 1995, the President decided to convene the representatives of the Government and the Commission to a public hearing to be held from September 5, 1996, to take the statements of the following witnesses: Sidney Lacayo-Guerra, Omar HalleslevenAcevedo, Carlos Hurtado-Cabrera, Humberto Ortega-Saavedra, Joaquín Cuadra-Lacayo and Boanerges Ojeda-Baca. 31. On December 20, 1995, the Government transmitted to the Court certification of the proceedings in the military courts on the Genie Lacayo Case between March 9, 1994, and November 28, 1995. 32. On January 20, 1996, the President decided that the Government and the Commission, after receiving the witnesses' statements, should present their closing arguments on the merits of the Case (infra 35). 33. On July 8, 1996, the Inter-American Court issued an Order in which it entrusted the judges present at the XX Special Session of the Court with hearing the oral evidence. 34. On August 27, 1996, the Government submitted, at the Court's request, copies of the following original texts of the Official Registry "La Gaceta": Law 181 of August 23, 1994, Code of Military Organization, Jurisdiction and Social Welfare; Law 37 of April 13, 1988, Law of Criminal Procedural Reform; Law 124 of March 8, 1991, Law of Criminal Procedural Reform; Law 164 of December 1, 1993; Law of Reforms of Criminal Instruction; Decree 521 of April 7, 1990, Establishment and Organization of the Institute of Social Welfare of the Sandinista People's Army, and Decree 1130 of October 5, 1982, Law of Criminal Procedural Reform. 35. At the public hearing which began on September 5, 1996, Judges Héctor FixZamudio, Hernán Salgado-Pesantes, Rafael Nieto-Navia and Alejandro Montiel-Argüello received the depositions of the witnesses who appeared in compliance with the Order of the President of the Court of December 9, 1995, and heard the conclusions of the parties on the evidence taken. There appeared before the Court, for the Government of Nicaragua: José Antonio Tijerino-Medrano, Agent, Carlos José Hernández-López, Alternate Agent, Marco Monroy-Cabra, Adviser, and Víctor Manuel Ordóñez, Assistant; for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: Alvaro Tirado-Mejía, Delegate, Domingo Acevedo, Deputy Executive Secretary, Milton Castillo, Attorney, Bertha Santoscoy-Noro, Attorney, Oscar Herdocia, Assistant, Héctor Faúndez-Ledezna, Assistant, José Miguel Vivanco, Assistant, and Ariel E. Dulitzky, Assistant;