and the Commission, the admissibility of which is neither challenged nor contested, and whose
authenticity is not questioned.35
35. The Court also notes that the representatives submitted two documents attached to their
final arguments, in addition to the helpful evidence that the Court requested at hearing: a copy
of the contracts for the services of expert witnesses brought in the instant case, and a copy of
several authorizations for representation. The State commented in its observations that the
contracts with expert witnesses, attached to the representatives’ final arguments, had been
submitted too late and were time-barred.
36. In response, the Court recalls that, regarding procedural time-limits for adducing
documentary evidence, under the terms of article 57(1) of the Rules of Procedure, evidence
should be submitted, in general terms, together with the briefs of submission of the case, the
pleadings and motions brief or the answering brief, whichever applies. The Court therefore notes
that evidence submitted outside the procedural time limits is not admissible, except as stated in
Article 57(2) of the Rules of Procedure, that is, in cases of force majeure or serious impediment,
or if it addresses an event that occurred subsequent to the expiration of the time-limit.36
37. The Court would clarify that the contracts with the expert witnesses are relevant for
calculating costs and expenses and therefore will be examined in that section of the judgment.
Finally, regarding the third annex containing the authorizations for representation, the Court
notes that the documents had already been annexed to the case file and therefore do not need
to be discussed here.
B. Admissibility of evidence by witnesses and expert witnesses
38. The President issued an order on April 21, 2021, for statements by affidavit before a public
attestor by thirty-two alleged victims (brought by the representatives),37 twelve witnesses
(brought by the representatives),38 and three expert witnesses (one by the State,39 one by the
Cf. Case of Velásquez Rodríguez v. Honduras. Merits. Judgment of July 29, 1988. Series C No. 4, para. 140,
and Case of Vera Rojas et al. v. Chile, supra, para. 47.
35
Cf. Case of Barrios Family v. Venezuela. Merits, Reparations and Costs. Judgment of November 24, 2011.
Series C No. 237, para. 17, and Case of Vera Rojas et al. v. Chile, supra, para. 48.
36
Statements were ordered from the following alleged victims: Delicia de las Mercedes Vega Cordovez, Ruperto
Hernán Hurtado Clunes, Juana Ángela Alcota Goya, Lucila Torres Montaño, Clara del Rosario González Rodríguez,
Isabel Margarita Kong Urbina, Jenny Marcela Castillo Gutiérrez (daughter of alleged victim Lindora Gutiérrez Castillo),
Yilenni Soledad Pastén Pastén (daughter of alleged victim Verónica Pastén Castillo), Ciro Hernán González Sepúlveda,
Jaime Antonio Villaseñor Jara, Nelson Aler Véliz Pereda, Ramona del Carmen Ilufi Luna, Téofila Ester Norambuena
Chamorro, Jaime Alberto Bustos Kuroki, Héctor Antonio Gómez Moraga, Patricio Alberto Muñoz Hidalgo, Said Daruich
Yamal Jiménez, Alicia del Carmen Ramos Ramírez, Juan Roespiel Parra Gaete, Julia Hortencia Araya Castro, Carlos
Eliseo Vergara Troncoso, Juan Cristobalino Ávila Contreras, Rebeca Mercedes Meyer Flores, Gladys Collao Rojas, Rosa
Otilia Zambrano Aros, Jaime Enrique Munizaga Espinosa, Delia de Lourdes Araya Salinas, Isabel del Carmen Irribaren
Cárdenas, Miriam Jesús Silva Castillo, Alejandro Alfonso Tapia Castillo, Laura Graciela Vicentelo Gatta, and Fernando
Saravia Lawrece.
37
Statements by Mario Aguilar Arévalo (evidence file, folios 19144 to 19152); Darío Vásquez Salazar (evidence
file, folios 19153 to 19158); Manuel Ortelio Moya Recabal (evidence file, folios 19129 to 19135); Guillermo Manuel
Arancibia Herrera (evidence file, folios 19135 to 19143); Juan Horacio Santana Álvarez (evidence file, folios 19124
to 19128); Alejandro Espinoza Bustos (evidence file, folios 19212 to 19242); Álvaro Antonio Elizalde Soto (evidence
file, folios 19159 to 19167); Marcelo Díaz Díaz (evidence file, folios 19168 to 19176); Ximena Cecilia Rincón González
(evidence file, folios 19193 to 19211); Yasna Provoste Campillay (evidence file, folios 19177 to 19184); Carlos Montes
Cisternas (evidence file, folios 19185 to 1192 and Juan Pablo Olmedo Bustos (evidence file, folios 19243 to 19253).
38
Sworn statement by Martins Paparinskis before a public attestor, May 24, 2021 (evidence file, folios 18781 to
18833).
39
13