8 41. On February 17, 2003, the Secretariat, under instructions by the full Court, asked the Commission and the representatives of the next of kin of the victim to submit whatever observations they deemed pertinent regarding the February 14, 2003 communication by the State. Said observations were received on the 17th of that same month and year (infra paras. 76 and 77). 42. On February 18, 2003, during the preliminary meeting before the public hearing summoned for that day, the State submitted a brief entitled “brief modifying the answer of the State of Guatemala to the application filed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in the Myrna Mack Chang Case No. 10,636 of July 26, 2001,” in which it desisted from the preliminary objections filed. 43. On February 18, 2003, the Court held the public hearing summoned in the instant case, at its seat, and at which there appeared: for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: Claudio Grossman, Delegate; Eduardo Bertoni, representative; and María Claudia Pulido, advisor; for the representatives of the next of kin of the victim: Alberto Bovino, representative; Roxanna Altholz, on behalf of CEJIL; Elijah Barret Prettyman Jr., of Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.; Lyndon Tretter, of Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.; Shannon Tovan McDaniel, of Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.; and David Kassebaum, of Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.; for the State of Guatemala2: Ricardo Alvarado Ortigoza, Ambassador of the State of Guatemala before the Permanent United Nations Mission; and Cruz Munguía Sosa, Deputy Executive Director of the Presidential Human Rights Committee; witnesses proposed by the Commission and by the representatives of the next of kin of the victim: Monsignor Julio Cabrera Ovalle; Virgilio Rodríguez Santana; Rember Larios Tobar; Henry Monroy Andrino; Lucrecia Hernández Mack; Helen Mack Chang; and Gabriela Vásquez Smerilli; Nadezhada Vásquez Cucho; expert witness proposed by the Commission and by the representatives of the next of kin of the victim: 2 The second day of the public hearing, the agents of the State withdrew from the hearing. Subsequently, they appeared for the presentation of the final oral written pleadings on the case.