6 the requirements for an objection of this type.” In addition, the Court considered “unfounded the allegation of lack of impartiality made […] in relation to Judge Diego García-Sayán and Judge Manuel Ventura Robles, who have not [incurred] in any of the statutory causes for disqualification or executed any act that would allow their impartiality to be questioned,” and declared “inadmissible and unfounded the allegations […] relating to the supposed lack of impartiality of Pablo Saavedra Alessandri, Secretary of the Court.” 7. Observations on the preliminary objections. On March 4 and 7, 2014, the representatives and the Inter-American Commission, respectively, presented their observations on the preliminary objections filed by the State. 8. Public hearing. On April 14, 2014, the President issued an order,4 in which he called the Inter-American Commission, the representatives, and the State to a public hearing, to receive the final oral arguments of the representatives and of the State, and the final oral observations of the Commission on the preliminary objections and possible merits, reparations and costs. In addition, in this order, he required that affidavits be received from six presumed victims, seven witnesses, four expert witnesses, and one deponent for information purposes, which were submitted by the parties and the Commission on April 28 and 29 and May 7 and 9, 2014. The representatives and the State were given the opportunity to pose questions and make observations on the statements offered by the other party. In addition, in the said order, one presumed victim, one witness and four expert witnesses were called to appear to provide their testimony at the public hearing. The said hearing took place on May 29 and 30, 2014, during the 103rd regular session of the Court held at its seat.5 During the hearing, the parties submitted certain documentation and the Court’s judges asked for certain information, explanations and helpful evidence. 9. In addition, the Court received five amicus curiae briefs presented by: (1) Elizabeth Ballantine, on behalf of the Inter American Press Association; (2) Nani Jansen, on behalf of the Legal Media Defence Initiative (MLDI); (3) Héctor Oscar Amengual and Alexandre K. Jobim, on behalf of the Association for International Broadcasting; (4) Carlos Correa, Marco Ruiz and Tinedo Guía, on behalf of the Venezuelan Colegio Nacional de Periodistas and Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Prensa, and (5) Javier El-Hague, on behalf of the Human Rights Foundation. 10. Final written arguments and observations. On July 1, 2014 the parties forwarded their final written arguments and the Commission presented its final written observations. The representatives and the State presented some of the information, explanations and helpful evidence requested by the Court’s judges with their final written arguments (supra para. 8). 11. On July 3, 2014, the Court’s Secretariat, on the instructions of the President of the Court, granted until July 15, 2014, for the representatives, the State and the Commission to forward any observations they deemed pertinent, exclusively on the briefs and annexes presented by the State and the representatives on July 1, 2014. 12. Observations of the representatives, the State, and the Commission. The Commission and the parties did not submit observations in this regard. Cf. Case of Granier et al. (Radio Caracas Televisión) v. Venezuela. Order of the acting President of the Court of April 14, 2014. Available at: http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/asuntos/granier_14_04_14.pdf 4 At this hearing, there appeared: (a) for the Inter-American Commission: Commissioner Felipe González, Delegate; Catalina Botero, Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression; Ona Flores and Jorge Meza, advisers; (b) for the presumed victims: the representatives Pedro Nikken, Carlos Ayala, Oswaldo Quintana, Gustavo Reyna, José Valentín González, Jesús Loreto, Claudia Nikken Garvía and Bernardo Pulido, and (c) for the State: Germán Saltrón Negretti, State Agent for Human Rights; Luis Britto García, adviser to the State Human Rights Agency; Manuel Galindo, Attorney General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; María Alejandra Díaz, lawyer; Manuel García Andueza, lawyer; Carlos Márquez, university graduate, and Beatriz Rodríguez, lawyer. 5