3 Convention” or “the American Convention” provides that the Court shall take the provisional measures it deems pertinent in matters not yet submitted to the Court in cases “of extreme gravity and urgency, and when necessary to avoid irreparable damage to persons” and by the terms of Article 25(4) of the Rules of Procedure of the Court (hereinafter “the Rules of Procedure”) [i]f the Court is not sitting, the President, in consultation with the Permanent Commission and, if possible, with the other judges, shall call upon the government concerned to adopt the necessary urgent measures and to act so as to permit any provisional measures subsequently ordered by the Court, in its next session, to have the requisite effect. 2. That in accordance with the Orders of June 22, 1994 and February 1, 1996, Guatemala is obligated to adopt all of the measures necessary to ensure the right to life and physical and moral integrity of a group of persons, among them, Mr. Alberto Godínez; to periodically inform the President on these measures and also to establish “mechanisms of control and vigilance over the civil patrols operating in Colotenango.”” 3. That according to information provided by the Commission, Mr. Alberto Godínez suffered a grave attack at the hands of former members of the civil patrols, over which the State of Guatemala should have established mechanisms of control and vigilance. As a consequence, the measures taken in this case have shown to be insufficient to ensure the physical integrity of Mr. Alberto Godínez. 4. That the State of Guatemala has not presented the Court its observations to the request of the Commission, which were requested by the Secretariat on May 19, 1997. Taking into account the urgency of this situation, it is proper to require that the State present said observations within a peremptory period. 5. That in regards to the request to expand the provisional measures adopted in this case to also benefit Andrés Ramos Godínez, Rafael Vásquez Simón, Juan Mendoza Sánchez, Julia Gabriel Simón, Miguel Morales Mendoza, Lucía Quila Colo, and Fermina López Castro, all of whom will testify in the continuing domestic proceedings for the murder of Juan Pablo Chanay, this Presidency considers, taking into consideration the recent attack in which Mr. Alberto Godínez was victim that the events described by the Commission constitute a situation of extreme gravity and urgency. Consequently, it is proper to expand the measures adopted in this case to benefit the above-mentioned witnesses. 6. That in regards to the third request of the Commission, that is, that the Court require the State to investigate the attack against Mr. Alberto Godínez and that it hold a trial and punish those responsible for the same and “all the acts of harassment to which the protected persons have been subjected,” it is appropriate to point out that the State of Guatemala has the obligation, in accordance with Article 1(1) of the Convention, to “prevent, investigate and punish any violation of the rights recognized by the Convention.” (Velásquez Rodríguez Case, Judgment of July 29, 1988. Series C No. 4, para. 166.) NOW, THEREFORE: THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS, in compliance with Article 63(2) of the American Convention on Human Rights and in exercise of the authority conferred on him by Article 25(4) the Rules of Procedure, and in prior consultation with the judges of the Court,