18 Evaluation of Documentary Evidence 58. In this case, as in others,13 the Court accepts the evidentiary value of documents submitted by the parties at earlier stages of the process or as evidence to facilitate resolution of the case, when such documents were not subject to challenge or objection, and whose authenticity has not come into question. 59. To this body of evidence the Court adds, according to Article 45(1) of the Rules of Procedure, documents submitted by the representatives and the State during the public hearing held on February 8, 2006, which were seen by all parties present in the hearing, because it considers them useful for resolving the case; it also adds documents submitted by the representatives as appendixes to their final written arguments (supra paras. 31 and 32). 60. Applying the provisions of Article 45(1) of its Rules of Procedure, the Court incorporates into the body of evidence the documents filed by the representatives and the State to facilitate settlement of the case (supra paras. 33 and 34). 61. The Court is adding other documents to the body of evidence as well, in keeping with Article 45(1) of the Rules of Procedure, as it considers them useful for ruling on this case.14 62. This Court also admits testimony given by Plácido Medeiros de Souza before the Human Rights Ombudsman of Natal, bearing a signature authenticated by a notary public (supra para. 56(1)(a)), and the testimony, also bearing signatures authenticated by a notary public, given by Augusto César Oliveira Serra and Gerson de Souza Barbosa (supra para. 56(2)(a) and 56(2)(b); it finds that they are consistent with its purposes as stated in the Ruling of November 30, 2005 (supra para. 23) and considers them a valuable part of the overall corpus of evidence, applying the rules of sound judicial discretion. The Court has taken account of the comments of the Commission and the representatives regarding 13 Cf. Case of Almonacid Arellano et al., supra note 9, para. 74; Case of Goiburú et al. Judgment of September 22, 2006. Series C No. 153, para. 57; and Case of Servellón García et al., supra nota 11, para. 38. 14 To wit: United Nations, Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, approved in the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, U.N. Doc. A/CONF.144/28/Rev.1, September 7, 1990; Organization of American States, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Report on the situation of human rights defenders in the Americas, OEA/Ser.L/V/II.124, March 7, 2006; Organization of American States, Human Rights Defenders: Support for the Individuals, Groups, and Civil Society Organizations Working to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Americas, AG/RES.1920, (XXXIII-O/03), June 10, 2003; Organization of American States, Human Rights Defenders in the Americas: Support for the Individuals, Groups, and Organizations of Civil Society Working to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Americas, AG/RES.1842, (XXXII-O/02), June 4, 2002; Organization of American States, Human Rights Defenders in the Americas: Support for the Individuals, Groups, and Organizations of Civil Society Working to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Americas, AG/RES.1711, (XXX-O/00), June 5, 2000; Param Cumaraswamy, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges, Question of the Human Rights of all Persons Subjected to any Form of Detention or Imprisonment, UN Doc.No.E/CN.4/1997/32, February 18, 1997; United Nations, High Commissioner for Human Rights, Human Rights Defenders, Resolution of the Commission on Human Rights 2003/64, April 24, 2003; United Nations, High Commissioner for Human Rights, Human Rights Defenders, Resolution of the Commission on Human Rights 2002/70, April 25, 2002;United Nations, Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Declaration of the General Assembly, UN Doc.No.A/RES/53/144, March 8, 1999; and Council of the European Union, Draft conclusions of the Council on the EU guidelines on human rights defenders, 100056/1/04 REV 1, June 9, 2004.