party cannot justify violations of the African Charter by relying on the limitation
under article 6 of the Charter. The respondent state is required to convince the
Commission that the measures or conditions it had put in place were in compliance
with article 6 of the Charter.”30 In Amnesty International and Others v. Sudan, the
Commission stated “Article 6 must be interpreted in such a way as to permit arrests
and detention only in the exercise of powers normally granted to the security forces
in a democratic society.”31 Competent authorities should not enact provisions which
limit the exercise of rights and freedoms.
104. The most appropriate manner to ensure the respect of Article 6 is to allow for a
judicial review of any arrest and detention by independent and impartial courts.
Principle 35 of the Guidelines on the Conditions of Arrest, Police Custody and PreTrial detention in Africa, adopted by the Commission during its 55th Ordinary
Session in Luanda, Angola, from 28 April to 12 May 2014, provides that:
“All persons in police custody and pre-trial detention shall have the right, either personally
or through their representative, to take proceedings before a judicial authority, without delay,
in order to have the legality of their detention reviewed.”
105. Such a right would be ineffective if the decision of the judicial authority was not
binding on the executive, and for this reason, Principle 35 of the Guidelines further
states: “If the judicial authority decides that the detention is unlawful, individuals have the
right to release without delay.”
106. The Commission would also like to recall Principle 4(a) of the Principles and
Guidelines on the Right to a Fair Trial and Legal Assistance in Africa, adopted by
the Commission at the 33rd Ordinary Session, held in Niamey, Niger, from 15 to 29
May 2003: 32 “The independence of judicial bodies and judicial officers shall be guaranteed by
the constitution and laws of the country and respected by the government, its agencies and
authorities.” The Executive and the Legislature must respect and abide by the
judgements and decisions of the Judiciary, even when they do not agree with them.
“Such respect for the judicial authority is indispensable for the maintenance of the rule of law,
including respect for human rights standards, and all branches of Government and all State
institutions have a duty to prevent any erosion of this independent decision-making authority
of the Judiciary.”33
107. The Commission agrees with the Respondent State that the right to personal liberty
does not grant complete freedom from arrest or detention. Deprivation of liberty is a
legitimate form of state control over persons within its jurisdiction. Instead, the right
to personal liberty acts as a substantive guarantee that any arrest or detention will
not be unlawful or arbitrary. In Rafael Marques de Morais (represented by the Open
30
Communication 266/03: Gunme v Cameroon (2009) ACHPR para 118
Supra note 3, para 59
32
http://www.achpr.org/files/activity-reports/17/achpr34and35_actrep17_20032004_eng.pdf
33
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights & International Bar Association, Human Rights in the
Administration of Justice: A Manual on Human Rights for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers (2003) 121
31
18