The Inter-American Court of Human Rights will hold at its seat, in San José Costa Rica, its XXXVIII Regular Session from October 31 to November 15, 1997. During this session, the Court will consider the following matters :

1) Meeting with the European Court of Human Rights: on November 4th and 5th, the Court and its Secretaries will hold a meeting with representatives of the European Court on Human Rights, located at Strasbourg, France.

2 Provisional Measures in Colombia: Álvarez et al . Case: On November 8, at 10:00 a.m., the Court will hold a public hearing in which it will hear the oral arguments of the State of Colombia and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights regarding the provisional measures requested by the latter in the Álvarez et al case.

3) Advisory Proceedings in OC-15: On November 10, at 10:00 a.m., the Court will hold a public hearing in which it will hear the observations of the States of Chile, Costa Rica and Guatemala; the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch/Americas and the Center for Justice and International Law regarding the advisory proceedings in OC-15. The Court will also study the possibility of taking a definite decision in this procedure.

4) Paniagua Morales et al . Case: On November 13, at 10:00 a.m., the Court will hold a public hearing in which it will hear the testimony of Mr. Julio Aníbal Trejo Duque, and also the conclusions of the parties regarding said testimony.

5) Deliberations and Case Proceedings: the Court will deliberate and study the possibility of emitting a Judgment in the Castillo Páez Case, against Perú and the Suárez Rosero Case, against Ecuador. Likewise, the Court will study diverse procedural acts in several contentious cases currently before it, the reports received regarding provisional measures, and the compliance of its Judgments.

The composition of the Court during this Regular Session will be the following: Hernán Salgado Pesantes (Ecuador), President; Antônio A. Cançado Trindade (Brazil), VicePresident; Héctor Fix-Zamudio (México); Alejandro-Montiel Argüello (Nicaragua); Máximo-Pacheco Gómez (Chile); Oliver Jackman (Barbados) and Alirio Abreu-Burelli (Venezuela). In the Paniagua Morales Case the ad hoc Judge appointed by Guatemala, Dr. Edgar E. Larraondo-Salguero, will also participate. Also present will be the Secretary of the Court, Manuel E. Ventura-Robles and the Acting Deputy Secretary, Víctor M. Rodríguez-Rescia.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is an autonomous judicial institution of the Organization of the American States established in 1979. The Court is composed of jurists of the highest moral standards and competence in the area of human rights. Judges are elected by the OAS General Assembly and cannot exercise their functions for more than two six-year terms.

For further information, please address all requests to Manuel E. Ventura Robles, Secretary of the Court.

October 27, 1997