ORDER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS * OF MAY 21, 2001 REQUEST FOR PROVISIONAL MEASURES OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE MATTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF COSTA RICA THE LA NACIÓN NEWSPAPER CASE HAVING SEEN: 1. The communication of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter “the Commission” or “the Inter-American Commission”) of March 28, 2001, submitting a request for provisional measures in favor of Mauricio Herrera Ulloa and Fernán Vargas Rohrmoser, respectively journalist and legal representative of the Costa Rican newspaper, La Nación, “so that [the Court may request] the Republic of Costa Rica to protect the freedom of expression” of the said persons. 2. The Order of the President of the Court of April 6, 2001, that decided: 1. To grant the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the State of Costa Rica until May 12, 2001, to submit the information referred to in considering paragraph 4 of this order. 2. To summon the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the State of Costa Rica to a public hearing to be held at the seat of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on May 22, 2001, at 10 a.m., so that the Court may hear their points of view on the facts and circumstances that motivated the request for provisional measures. 3. To request the State, as an urgent measure, to abstain from executing any action that would alter the status quo of the matter until this public hearing has been held and the Court is able to deliberate and decide on the admissibility of the provisional measures requested by the Commission. 3. The communication of the Commission of May 9, 2001, in which it proposed that Mauricio Herrera Ulloa should appear as a witness in the hearing convened for May 22, 2001. 4. The communication of the State of Costa Rica (hereinafter “the State” or “Costa Rica”) of May 15, 2001, in which it indicated that “it [did] not object to [the] request” of the Commission mentioned in the previous paragraph, “in the understanding that the said hearing would not address the merits of the matter that was under consideration by” the Inter-American Commission. CONSIDERING: 1. That, when proposing that Mauricio Herrera Ulloa should be heard, the Commission indicated to this Court that he would make a statement on his personal * Judges Máximo Pacheco Gómez and Alirio Abreu Burelli were unable to take part in the deliberation and signature of this Order, owing to circumstances beyond their control.