7. At its 71st Ordinary Session held from 12 February to 8 March 2024, the Court decided that the request for provisional measures would be examined together with the merits of the Application. 8. The Parties filed their pleadings and submissions within the time-limit set by the Court. 9. Pleadings were closed on 23 August 2024 and the Parties were duly informed. IV. PRAYERS OF THE PARTIES 10. As regards provisional measures, the Applicants pray the Court to: i. Order the Respondent State to release them immediately; ii. Order the Respondent State to process without delay the requests for release submitted to the judicial authorities by their counsel. 11. On the merits, the Applicants pray the Court to: i. Hold that their continued detention after the expiry of the legal time limits is a serious violation of their fundamental rights, in particular as protected by Articles 6, 7 and 9 of the Charter and Article 9 of the UDHR as well as the ICCPR; ii. Hold that the Respondent State violated its Code of Criminal Procedure (CCP) and the right to justice; iii. Hold that the Respondent State violated their right to freedom of opinion and expression; iv. Hold that they are entitled to effective access to justice and, accordingly, order the Respondent State to submit a report on the measures taken within such reasonable time as the Court may deem; and v. Hold that they are entitled to fair compensation for their arbitrary detention, in accordance with international human rights standards. 4