properly investigate a criminal matter of which it has been notified and to
move the criminal process forward to its ultimate conclusion within a
reasonable
time,
domestically.’"®
28. In the
lodged
matter
a State ‘forfeit[s] its prerogative to deal with the matter
at hand,
by the State
four
years
Prosecutor
have
against
lapsed
the
since
decision
an
appeal
of
the
was
Criminal
Court of Nouakchott. However, after four years, no decision was given on
the file lodged by the prosecutor. This indicates that the Respondent State
failed to properly investigate a criminal matter of which it has been
notified and to move the criminal process forward to its ultimate
conclusion within a reasonable time. Consequently, the Committee
believes
assume
that the two
boys
in the present
case
cannot
be expected
the task of exhausting domestic criminal remedies
to
but that it is
instead for the Respondent State to move the criminal process forward to
its ultimate conclusion in a timely manner, which it has failed to do.
29. In the
Communication
Committee
exhausting
of children
of Nubian
took the view that “the Complainants
local
remedies
if such
an
descents
attempt
can
would
V Kenya,
be exempted
be
the
from
or is unduly
prolonged, which is an explicitly mentioned exception under Article 56[5] of
the African Charter.”"* The Committee further underscored that “an unduly
prolonged domestic remedy cannot be considered to fall within the ambit
of
‘available,
effective,
and
sufficient’
local
remedy.”'® In
the
present
matter, the Committee has learned that the victims have not caused the
delay, and indeed through their lawyer they have repeatedly sought to
ensure a hearing of the appeal. The Committee notes that four years
have lapsed by the time the Complainants lodged
it is noted in the Children of Nubian Descendants
in the life of a child is almost six percent of his
implementation and realization of children’s rights
to be relegated
for tomorrow,
this communication. As
Communication “a year
or her childhood... the
in Africa is not a matter
but an issue that is in need
of proactive
immediate attention and action.”"” The Committee is of the view that, the
delay caused
in relation to the present communication
is not in the best
interest of the child and amounts to undue delay that triggers the exception
to the requirement to exhaust any local remedies.
30. Pursuant to Section IX (1) (E) of the Revised Communication Guideline,
the Communication should be presented within a reasonable period after
exhaustion of local remedies at the national level. The Committee is of the
view that this requirement is fulfilled since this Communication is brought
within a reasonable period of time, after waiting for four years to get
remedy from local arena.
"3 article 19 v Eritrea (n 11 above).
™ See IHRDA
"8 See IHRDA
and other on behalf of children of Nubian descent V Kenya
and other on behalf of children of Nubian descent V Kenya
(n 2 above) para 31.
(n 2 above) para 32.