8 owing to circumstances beyond its control. On July 12, 2000, the President granted the State time to submit its comments. When the State’s comments had not been received by July 20 that year, the President decided to summon Mrs. Ayala de la Cruz to appear and give testimony at the respective public hearing. 40. On July 24, 2000, German Giovanni Paniagua Morales submitted comments on the State’s brief of June 9, 2000. 41. On August 11 and 12, 2000, the Court received the statements of the witnesses and experts proposed by the Commission at a public hearing. There appeared before the Court: For the victims’ next of kin: Mark Martel, lawyer Avilio Carrillo Martínez, lawyer and Antonio René Argueta Beltrán, lawyer for the Inter-American Commission: Claudio Grossman, delegate, and Elizabeth Abi-Mershed, lawyer for the State of Guatemala: Enrique D. Barascout, agent Osvaldo Enríquez, advisor Cruz Munguía Sosa, advisor, and Ricardo Efraín Alvarado Ortigoza, advisor Witnesses proposed by the Commission: Salvador González Najarro Blanca Esperanza Ayala de la Cruz Ingrid Elizabeth Gómez Ayala Tino Corado Barrientos Miriam Enoé Zelada Chinchilla María Ildefonsa Morales de Paniagua María Elizabeth Chinchilla de González, and Manuel Alberto González Chinchilla. Experts proposed by the Commission: Robin Eric Hahnel; and Graciela Marisa Guilis. Despite having been summonsed by the Court, Alberto Antonio Paniagua Morales did not appear to testify. 42. On February 22, 2001, on the instructions of the Court and in accordance with Article 44 of its Rules of Procedure, the Secretariat requested some of the victims’ next of kin and the State to forward evidence that would be helpful. On March 21 and April 2, 2001, the lawyers, Avilio Carrillo Martínez and René Argueta Beltrán,