16 complainants publicly denounced the loss of that material, and on May 29, 1998, June 5, 1998, August 27, 1998, and January 21, 2000 briefs they asked that its whereabouts be investigated and the respective analysis be carried out; 42(40) the ballistic material from mass graves No. 1 to No. 21 remained lost from January 1998 to early 2000, when it was found at the seat of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Salamá. On February 10, 2000 the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the District of Salamá asked the Ballistics Section of the Technical Scientific Department of the Public Prosecutor’s Office to conduct the laboratory analysis of the ballistic material, and that Section submitted its report on March 7, 2000; 42(41) on May 27, 1997 the complainants made their statements before the Public Prosecutor’s Office and they identified soldiers Eusebio Galeano, Julián Acoj Morales, Mario Acoj Morales, Andrés Galeano, Military Commissioner Moisés Manuel, uniformed G-2 members Carlos Orrego Oliva, Francisco Orrega García, Rosalio Tecú, Santos Rosales, Pedro Melchor, Everardo García, Jesús Torres, Roberto Galeano Manuel and Roel Augusto Juárez, and the military officers who headed the patrol, Lieutenant Díaz and Captain Solares, as the alleged direct perpetrators of the massacre. They accused the high command of the army at the time of being the masterminds. They also requested that the pertinent investigation be conducted for justice to be done; 42(42) on May 27 and June 4, 1997 the complainants reiterated their request to the Public Prosecutor’s Office to obtain information from the National Defense Ministry on the members of the patrol that committed the massacre. On June 18, 1997 the complainants asked the public prosecutor to request that the case Judge issue “the arrest warrant against the accused and for it to be immediately served for the crimes of murder, aggravated rape, aggravated theft, genocide, and abuse of authority.” On August 27, 1997 the complainants also asked the Trial Court of Cobán to request the required information from the National Defense Ministry; 42(43) on August 28, 1997 the Trial Court Judge of Cobán ordered the Public Prosecutor’s Office to ask the National Defense Ministry to supply the complete names of Captain Solares and Lieutenant Díaz. On November 12, 1997 the Public Prosecutor’s Office asked the National Defense Ministry to inform the Public Prosecutor’s Office whether on July 18, 1982 officers Lieutenant Díaz and Captain Solares were on duty at the military detachment in Rabinal, to provide their complete names, their rank, whether they were in active service in that institution, as well as their location, and that of soldiers Julián Acoj, Mario Acoj, Eusebio Galeano, Roberto Galeano, and Moisés Manuel; 42(44) on November 24, 1997 the complainants asked the Criminal Trial Court to expand the August 28, 1997 Resolution and to ask the National Defense Ministry for the names of the members of the army and of the civil self-defense patrols commanded by Lieutenant Díaz and Captain Solares and for details on the hierarchical structure of the Guatemalan Army at the time of the facts. On November 25, the Court granted the request and ordered the National Defense Ministry to supply said information; 42(45) on January 21, 2000 the complainants asked the Public Prosecutor’s Office to instruct the National Defense Ministry to state the name of the Minister of Defense at the time of the massacre, of the Commander of the General Chiefs of Staff, of the Commanders of military zone No. 5 with its headquarters at Salamá, of the