Alejandra Rodríguez Cabrera, Esmeralda Cubillos Bedoya, Martha Amparo Peña Forero,
Mario David Beltrán Fuentes, Bernardo Beltrán Monroy, Francisco José Lanao Ayarza, Juan
Francisco Lanao Anzola, Edison Esteban Cárdenas León, Julia Figueroa Lizarazo, Luis Carlos
Ospina Arias, Marixa Casallas Lizarazo, María del Carmen Celis de Suspes, Myriam Suspes
Celis, Ludy Esmeralda Suspes Samper, Stephanny Beltrán Navarrete, Fabio Beltrán
Hernández, Elizabeth Franco Pineda, Flor María Castiblanco Torres, Mairée Urán Bidegain,
Helena Urán Bidegain, Anahí Urán Bidegain, Adalberto Santodomingo Ibarra, Ángela María
Ramos Santodomingo, Sonia Esther Ospino de Matson, Yusetis Barrios Yepes, Lucía Garzón
Restrepo and María de los Ángeles Sánchez; the witnesses Julia Navarrete, Ignacio Gómez,
Oscar Naranjo Trujillo and Dimas Denis Contreras Villa, and also the expert opinions of
Clemencia Correa, Ana Deutsch, Michael Reed Hurtado, Mario Madrid Malo, Carlos
Castresana and Carlos Delgado Romero. 62 As regards the evidence received during the
public hearing, the Court heard the statements of: the presumed victims César Enrique
Rodríguez Vera, Yolanda Santodomingo and Ana María Bidegain; the witnesses Ángela
María Buitrago Ruíz and Jaime Castro Castro; the deponent for information purposes Carlos
Bacigalupo Salinas, and the expert witnesses Federico Andreu Guzmán and Máximo Duque
Piedrahíta.
B. Admission of the evidence
B.1) Admission of the documentary evidence
56. In this case, as in others, this Court admits those documents presented at the
appropriate moment by the parties and the Commission that were not contested or
opposed, and the authenticity of which was not challenged. 63 This is notwithstanding the
Court’s decision in relation to the annexes to the motions and arguments brief (supra para.
6).
57. Regarding the newspaper articles presented by the parties and the Commission
together with their different briefs, the Court has considered that they may be assessed
when they refer to well-known public facts or declarations of State officials, or when they
corroborate aspects of the case. 64 The Court decides to admit those documents that are
complete or that, at least, allow their source and date of publication to be verified.
58. Also, with regard to some documents indicated by the parties and the Commission by
means of electronic links, the Court has established that if a party provides at least the
direct electronic link to the document cited as evidence, and it is possible to access this,
neither legal certainty nor procedural equality is affected, because it can be located
immediately by the Court and by the other parties. 65 In this case, neither the parties nor
the Commission opposed or made observations on the content and authenticity of such
62
The purpose of these statements was established in the Order of the President of October 16, 2013 (supra
footnote 8). Although the witnesses José Vicente Rodríguez Cuenca and Nubia Stella Torres had been summoned to
testify by affidavit in this Order of the President, the State did not present their statements and advised that “they
were asked to comply with the order [of the President …]; but no reply was received.” In addition, the representatives
did not present the testimony of Rafael Armando Arias Oviedo. In their final written arguments they indicated that this
could not be presented because “he was not in the country and could not be located.”
63
Cf. Case of Velásquez Rodríguez v. Honduras. Merits. Judgment of July 29, 1988. Series C No. 4, para. 140, and
Case of the Landaeta Mejías Brothers et al. v. Venezuela. Preliminary objections, merits, reparations and costs.
Judgment of August 27, 2014. Series C No. 281, para. 34.
64
Cf. Case of Velásquez Rodríguez v. Honduras. Merits. Judgment of July 29, 1988. Series C No. 4, para. 146, and
Case of the Landaeta Mejías Brothers et al. v. Venezuela. Preliminary objections, merits, reparations and costs.
Judgment of August 27, 2014. Series C No. 281, para. 35.
65
Cf. Case of Escué Zapata v. Colombia. Merits, reparations and costs. Judgment of July 4, 2007. Series C No. 165,
para. 26, and Case of Norín Catrimán et al. (Leaders, members and activist of the Mapuche Indigenous People) v.
Chile. Merits, reparations and costs. Judgment of May 29, 2014. Series C No. 279, para. 59.
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