I. THE PARTIES 1. Messrs Amadou Dembélé Bakary Sidi Diabate, Jacob alias A. Guirou and Abdoul Karim Keita (hereinafter referred to as “the Applicants), are Malian nationals and police officers by profession. They allege violation of their right to equal access to the public service owing, in particular, to the dismissal of their applications for admission into the National Police Academy (hereinafter referred to as “the NPA”). 2. The Application is filed against the Republic of Mali (hereinafter referred to as “the Respondent State”), which became a party to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (hereinafter referred to as “the Charter”) on 21 October 1986, and to the Protocol on 20 June 2000. The Respondent State also deposited, on 19 February 2010, the Declaration under Article 34(6) of the Protocol (hereinafter referred to as “the Declaration”) by virtue of which it accepts the jurisdiction of the Court to receive cases from individuals and Non-Governmental Organisations with observer status before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. II. SUBJECT MATTER OF THE APPLICATION A. Facts of the matter 3. The Applicants aver that pursuant to Decree No. 06-53/P-RM of 6 February 2006, which lays down the special provisions applicable to the various branches of the National Police Force (hereinafter referred to as “Decree of 6 February 2006), the Respondent State’s Minister of Internal Security and Civil Defence (hereinafter referred to as Minister of Internal Security) directed the Director-General of the National Police Force (“the DirectorGeneral”) to compile a list of highly qualified police officers, to be upgraded to the corps of Superintendents and Inspectors after training at the NPA. The required qualifications to this effect were Master’s Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, University Diploma of General Studies, and University Technology 2