HAVING SEEN:

1.             The Order of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (hereinafter "the Court") of September 10, 1996, in which it ordered the provisional measures agreed upon in the instant Case to be extended for six months.

2.             The report from the State of Guatemala (hereinafter "the State") submitted on September 11, 1996, in which it reported to the Court on the measures adopted pursuant to its order of May 18, 1995, and extended through orders of February 1 and September 10, 1996.

3.             The "Agreement on Friendly Settlement in the Case of Juan Chanay Pablo et al. (11.212) [Colotenango Case]" submitted to the Court by the State on February 21, 1997.

4.             The communication from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter "the Commission") of April 15, 1997, in which it stated that "notwithstanding the settlement of the case through a friendly settlement accepted by both parties, it is necessary for the provisional measures to be extended in the light of information supplied by the protected persons, who claim that they have received specific and recent threats against their lives."

CONSIDERING:

That the reports submitted by the State and the Commission indicate that the extremely grave and urgent situation that led to the adoption of provisional measures continues to exist in the instant Case.

NOW THEREFORE:

THE INTER-AMERICAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS,

pursuant to Article 63(2) of the American Convention on Human Rights and in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Article 29 of its Rules of Procedure,

DECIDES:

1.             To take note of the briefs presented by the State of Guatemala and the Inter-American Commission.

2.             To maintain the provisional measures in the instant case as long as the aforementioned circumstances persist.

3.             To require that the State report every two months from the date of this order, and that the Commission submit its comments on those reports within one month of the notification thereof.

Done in Spanish and English, the Spanish text being authentic, at the seat of the Court in San Jose, Costa Rica, this sixteenth day of April, 1997.