A/HRC/17/44 (e) Review of hospital and medical reports about injuries to victims and other relevant information such as death certificates and forensic reports; (f) Meetings with a variety of interlocutors, including members of the diplomatic community, representatives of the parties concerned, NGOs, professional associations; military analysts, medical doctors and legal experts during its field mission and its other investigations; (g) The review of reports of international organizations, including the United Nations; reports and other documentation produced by non-governmental and civil society organizations; media reports; and writings of academics and analysts on the conflict;4 (h) Invitations, through notes verbales to Member States of the United Nations5 and United Nations agencies, departments and bodies and to regional organizations to provide information relating to the Commission‟s investigations; (i) The wide circulation of a public call for written submissions from NGOs and other organizations and individuals interested in bringing information to the attention of the Commission. 9. The Commission reviewed all allegations raised in connection with issues arising under its mandate. It studied a large number of reports, submissions and other documentation either researched of its own motion or provided by others, amounting to more than 5,000 pages of documents, over 580 videos and over 2,200 photographs. The Commission‟s records, including records of interviews, have been maintained and will be handed over to OHCHR at the end of its functioning, in accordance with established rules and procedures. 10. In establishing its findings, the Commission sought to rely primarily and whenever possible on information it gathered first-hand. B. Challenges faced by the Commission 11. The Commission faced significant challenges in carrying out its mandate in the short period preceding this report: (a) The Commission was given a broad mandate with a very tight deadline requiring it and the Secretariat to work intensively and under great time pressure. The President of the Human Rights Council appointed the three members of the Commission on 15 March 2011 with a mandate to report back at the seventeenth session of the Council and to submit the report by 30 May 2011, allowing for a period of investigation of approximately two months; (b) The Commission faced significant security considerations and logistical and administrative hurdles in arranging at very short notice visits to Benghazi and Tripoli; (c) The Commission was not able to visit sites where the conflict was ongoing, such as Misrata and Ajdabiya, and other locations where incidents were reported. Security considerations limited the Commission‟s ability to enjoy access to persons and places; (d) The ongoing armed conflict and the particularly repressive conditions in certain areas significantly contributed to an atmosphere in which many victims and 4 5 A list of Members States and organizations that submitted information to the Commission is contained in annex III. Eight Member States submitted information to the Commission of Inquiry in response to its note verbale dated 3 May 2011. 7