which it is notified, the Commission shall consider the facts as probable.114 In the
absence of any submissions by the Respondent State on these allegations, the
Commission is inclined to accept the Complainants allegations as fact.
310. The Commission finds the Respondent State in violation of Article 8 of the
African Charter by unlawfully restricting the Victim’s right to freely practice his
religion.
Alleged violation of Article 16
311. The Complainants submit that the Respondent State violated Article 16 of the
Charter.
312.
Article 16 of the Charter states that:
1. Every individual shall have the right to enjoy the best attainable state of physical
and mental health.
2. State Parties […] shall take the necessary measures to protect the health of their
people and to ensure that they receive medical attention when they are sick.
313. The Complainants submit that although the Victim was abused at the hands
of prison and security officials, the Victim was not provided with medical care
and his requests for medical attention were denied. The Respondent State
disputes these allegations and refers to a visit to the hospital in February 2010,
and medical reports dated 27 January 2011 and 21 February 2011.
314. Guideline 4 (g) of the Luanda Guidelines state that an arrested person has the
right to urgent medical assistance, to request and receive a medical examination
and to obtain access to existing medical facilities.
315. The Commission notes that the responsibility of the government in relation to
Article 16 of the Charter is heightened in cases where the individual is in the
State’s custody and where a person’s physical integrity and well-being is
completely dependent on the activities of the authorities.115 In Monim Elgak and
others v. Sudan, the Commission specified that in the event of detention, the
State’s responsibility is even more evident to the extent that detention centres are
its exclusive preserve.116
316. In the present Communication, the Commission has found that the Victim
was subjected to acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading
treatment or punishment while in detention. As a result, the Victim’s health and
physical condition deteriorated. The Complainants have adduced evidence in the
form of the Victim’s extensive affidavit, excerpts from complaints submitted to
the Public Prosecutor regarding the Victim’s treatment and health condition, and
forensic medical examination reports from different medical institutions. The
Commission observes that the Respondent only refers to hospital visits by the
Amnesty International and Others v. Sudan (n 90 above), para 75.
Media Rights Agenda and Others v Nigeria (n 2 above), para 91.
116
Monim Elgak and others v. Sudan (n 45 above), para 136.
114
115
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