criminal appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal, the highest and final appellate court of the Respondent State. 45. In his Reply to the Respondent State’s Response, the Second Applicant argues that the Respondent State’s assertion that he could have initiated a constitutional petition for enforcement of his basic rights, such as the right to legal aid, is untenable. He contends that it was the fundamental responsibility of the Magistrate or Judge to inform him of his rights at every stage of the proceedings. In his case, however, neither the Magistrate nor the Judge fulfilled this obligation. Furthermore, the Second Applicant asserts that although the Respondent State has a legal aid scheme in place, its operation falls within the exclusive mandate and discretion of the Certifying Authority to grant or deny, thus leaving him with no say in the matter. *** 46. The Court notes that pursuant to Rule 50(2)(e) of the Rules, any application filed before it must fulfil the requirement of exhaustion of local remedies unless local remedies are unavailable, ineffective, or the domestic procedure to pursue them is unduly prolonged.10 This requirement seeks to ensure that, as the primary stakeholders, States have the opportunity to address human rights violations occurring within their jurisdiction before an international body is called upon to intervene. It reinforces the subsidiary role of international human rights bodies in the protection of human and peoples’ rights. In its established jurisprudence, the Court has also consistently affirmed that in order for this admissibility requirement to be met, the remedies that should be exhausted must be ordinary judicial remedies.11 10 Thomas v. Tanzania (merits), supra, § 64; Kennedy Owino Onyachi and Charles Mwanini Njoka v. United Republic of Tanzania (merits) (28 September 2017) 2 AfCLR 65, § 56; Werema Wangoko Werema and Wasiri Wangoko Werema v. United Republic of Tanzania (merits) (7 December 2018) 2 AfCLR 520, § 40. 11 Wilfred Onyango Nganyi and 9 others v. United Republic of Tanzania (reparations) (4 July 2019) 3 AfCLR 308, § 95. 13