4 addition, given the particular circumstances of the case, the President convened the InterAmerican Commission, the representatives and the State to a public hearing in order to hear the testimony of one of the alleged victims, three of the next of kin of the alleged victims, and the expert reports of three expert witnesses, as well as the final arguments of the parties on the merits, reparations, and costs. The public hearing was held on January 31 and February 1, 2007, during the seventy-fourth regular session of the Court.6 At the hearing, the Court asked the parties to present certain evidence in order to aid the resolution of the case. In addition, following the instructions of the President and based on Article 45(2) of the Rules of Procedure, the Secretariat requested that the parties submit additional information and documentation in order to facilitate adjudication of the case. Finally, in March 2007, the Commission, the representatives and the State submitted their final written arguments on merits, reparations, and costs, in which they commented upon the State’s acknowledgement of responsibility, the alleged violations of the Convention, and the reparations and costs. IV PARTIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY 8. In the present case, the State partially acknowledged its international responsibility in the proceedings before the Commission. This acknowledgment has full legal effects.7 Likewise, the State more broadly acknowledged its international responsibility before this Tribunal. This broader acknowledgment will be analyzed with regard to its terms and scope. Moreover, the parties presented a “partial agreement in relation to some reparation measures” (infra para. 20 to 22 and 227). 9. In the terms of Articles 53(2) and 55 of the Rules of Procedure, and in the use of its inherent powers of international judicial protection of human rights, the Court is empowered 6 The following were present at this hearing: (a) for the Inter-American Commission: Víctor Abramovich, Commissioner, and Santiago A. Canton, Executive Secretary, Delegates; Verónica Gómez, Lilly Ching and Juan Pablo Albán, advisers; (b) for the representatives: Eduardo Carreño Wilches, Rafael Barrios Mendivil and Jomary Ortegón Osorio, lawyers from the “José Alvear Restrepo” Legal Cooperative; and Viviana Krsticevic, Ariela Peralta, Francisco Quintana and Michael Camillieri, CEJIL lawyers; and (c) for the State: Eduardo Montealegre Lynett, Agent; Luz Marina Gil García, deputy Agent; Luis Guillermo Fernández, Ambassador of Colombia to Costa Rica; Clara Inés Vargas Silva, Director of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [Directora de Derechos Humanos y Derecho Internacional Humanitario del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores]; Hernán Guillermo Aldana Duque, Paula Lizano Van Der Latt, Diana Patricia Avila and Francisco Amaya Villareal, Advisors to the Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Directorate for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [Asesores de la Dirección de Derechos Humanos y Derecho Internacional Humanitario del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores]; Dionisio Araujo, Director of the National Legal Defense Office for the Ministry of the Interior and Justice [Director de Defensa Judicial de la Nación, Ministerio del Interior y de Justicia]; Jaime Castillo Farfán, Advisor to the Ministry of the Interior and Justice [Asesor del Ministerio del Interior y de Justicia]; Sonia Uribe, Coordinator at the Contentious Law Group for the Ministry of Defense [Coordinadora del Grupo Contencioso, Ministerio de Defensa Nacional]; María Fernanda Cabral Molina, Director of International Affairs for the Office of the Attorney General [Directora de Asuntos Internacionales, Fiscalía General de la Nación]; Laura Benedetti, International Affairs, Office of the Attorney General [Asuntos Internacionales de la Fiscalía General de la Nación]; Diana Bravo Rubio, Adviser to the Presidential Program for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law [Asesora del Programa Presidencial para los Derechos Humanos y Derecho Internacional Humanitario]; Gustavo Paredes, Colombian Embassy in Costa Rica; Angela María Yepes, Adviser to the Legal Office of the President of the Republic of Colombia [Asesora de la Oficina Jurídica de la Presidencia de la República de Colombia]; Camilo Ospina Bernal, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the OAS, and Margarita Rey, Second Secretary for External Relations at the Permanent Mission of Colombia to the OAS [Segundo Secretario de Relaciones Exteriores en la Misión Permanente de Colombia ante la OEA]. 7 Cf. Case of Montero Aranguren et al. (Detention Center of Catia). Judgment of July 5, 2006. Series C No. 150, para. 49; Case of Acevedo Jaramillo et al. Judgment of February 7 2006. Series C No. 144, para. 176 to 180; and Case of the Moiwana Community. Judgment of June 15, 2005. Series C No. 124, para. 58.