116. The Court recalls its jurisprudence in Brahim Belghith v. Republic of Tunisia
where it held that the absence of a Constitutional Court in the Respondent
State constitutes an impediment to litigants bringing constitutional
challenges.19 In the present case, the Court finds that the continued
absence of a Constitutional Court constitutes an impediment to the
Applicant’s ability to bring a constitutional challenge against Article 236 of
the Respondent State’s Code of Criminal Procedure.
117. Consequently, the Court considers that the Respondent State violated the
Applicant’s right to a fair trial, protected by Article 7(1)(a) of the Charter as
read jointly with Article 14(1) of the ICCPR, insofar as it failed to afford her
the avenue to challenge the constitutionality of Article 236 of the Code of
Criminal Procedure.
VIII. REPARATIONS
118. The Applicant prays the Court to order the Respondent State to pay her the
following sums as reparation for material prejudice:
i.
Five Thousand (5,000) Tunisian dinars as reparation for the amount
awarded her husband by the trial court;
ii.
Three Hundred (300) Tunisian dinars in respect of legal fees awarded
her husband by the trial court;
iii. One Thousand Five Hundred (1,500) Tunisian dinars as costs in respect
of investigation, prosecution and appearance before the Hammamet
Judicial Police Brigade;
iv. Two Thousand Five Hundred (2,500) Tunisian dinars as costs relating
to the misdemeanour case before the Grombalia court of first instance;
v.
Three Thousand Five Hundred (3,500) Tunisian dinars as costs in
respect of the appeal proceedings before the Nabeul court;
19 Brahim Belghith v. Republic of Tunisia, 22 September 2022, Application No. 17/2021 (merits and
reparations), §§ 95-102.
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