“the President”) granted the request put forward by the alleged victims through their representatives to have recourse to the Legal Aid Fund and approved granting the financial assistance necessary for presenting a maximum of one witness testimony and one expert witness report, and for a representative to be in attendance in the public hearing to be summoned (infra para. 9). 9. Through an Order dated April 29, 2011, the President ordered the receipt via sworn statements before notaries public (affidavits) of the testimonies of two alleged victims and six witnesses, as well as one expert witness report. All were proposed by the representatives. Likewise, through that Order, the President called the parties to a public hearing to hear the testimony of María Leontina Millacura Llaipén, alleged victim, and the expert witness report of Nora Cortiñas, both offered by the representatives, as well as the expert witness report of Sofía Tiscornia, ordered ex officio by the President of the Tribunal. The hearing was also to include the Commission’s final observations and the final oral arguments of the representatives and the State on the merits, reparations, and costs. Finally, the President ordered financial aid to be assigned to cover the travel and lodging expenses necessary for María Leontina Millacura Llaipén and Nora Cortiñas to be able to appear before the Court and give their testimony and expert witness report during the public hearing to be held in the case, and for one of the representatives of the alleged victims to be able to attend the public hearing. The President also ordered a file to be opened on expenses in which each of the outlays made in relation to the Legal Aid Fund would be documented. 10. The public hearing was held on May 18, 2011, during the 43rd Special Period of Sessions of the Court 3 , held in Panama City, Panama. During this hearing, the Court requested that the State, upon presenting its final written arguments, submit certain information and documentation. 11. On June 16, 2011, Sofía Tiscornia, expert witness named ex officio by the Court, submitted the open presentation made during the public hearing held in this case, along with additional information that the Court had requested during the public hearing. 12. On June 17, 2011, the State presented its final written arguments, as well as part of the information the Tribunal requested during the public hearing. On June 20, 2011, the Inter-American Commission and the representatives presented their comments and final written arguments, respectively. In addition, the representatives submitted information requested by the Court during the public hearing. 13. On June 30, 2011, following the instructions of the President of the Court, the Secretariat asked the State to submit certain documentation as evidence to facilitate adjudication. Notwithstanding, following the instructions of the President of the Court, the Secretariat requested that the representatives and the State present observations to the additional information submitted by the expert witness appointed ex oficio by the Court (supra para. 11), and it requested that the representatives and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights present their observations to the documentation presented by the State in the final written arguments (supra para. 12) 14. On July 7, 2011, the representatives presented their observations to specific documentation submitted by the State through its final written arguments. (supra para. 3 The following people attended the hearing: a) for the Inter-American Commission: Luz Patricia Mejía, delegated Commissioner, Karla Quintana Osuna, Advisor, and Silvia Serrano Guzmán, Advisor; for the representatives, Verónica Heredia, and c) for the State: Dr. Alberto Javier Salgado, Director of the International Conflicts Division of the Human Rights Directorate; representative of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, International Trade and Culture, Agent; Dra. Julia Loreto, representative of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, International Trade and Culture; Dr. Pilar Mayoral, representative of the Human Rights Secretariat of the Nation; and Dr. Ramiro Badía, representative of the Human Rights Secretariat of the Nation. 6