(�':i. ACH PR
·• •
African Commission on
Human Flights our
Human and Peoples· Bights
Collective Hesponsibility
Certificate of Delay on July 26, 2017. Upon receipt of the certified copies, the
Complainant states that he expeditiously lodged Volume One and Two of Civil
Appeal No. 261 of 2017 with the Court of Appeal in Nairobi on July 31, 2017,
and served the Respondent's Advocates on August 1, 2017. The Complainant
highlights that, as of the drafting of this Communication for submission to the
Commission, the Court of Appeal had not yet scheduled the appeal for a
substantive hearing.
52. In Amnesty International v. Sudan, the Commission highlighted the
importance of exhausting local remedies before resorting to international
mechanisms. 6 The Commission emphasized that the exhaustion requirement is
based on the principle of subsidiarity, which promotes the primary
responsibility of domestic authorities in protecting and enforcing human
rights. Only when local remedies have been exhausted or proven ineffective
are recourse to international mechanisms appropriate.
53. The alleged obstruction of justice raises significant apprehensions regarding
the Complainant's professional association with the judiciary. However, this
Commission believes that the allegation of a lack of trust in the judiciary does
not automatically render all local remedies unavailable or ineffective. In
assessing the functionality of local remedies, factors such as legal provisions,
procedural guarantees, and past precedents should be considered. While the
allegation of a lack of trust holds significance, it does not exempt individuals
from the requirement to exhaust local remedies.
54. The exhaustion requirement is a fundamental principle of international law,
ensuring the proper functioning of domestic legal systems and granting
national authorities the opportunity to address alleged violations before
international intervention. Upholding the obligation to exhaust local remedies,
even in cases where a lack of trust is alleged, strikes a balance between local
accountability and the protection of human rights. It recognizes that local
remedies can provide redress in certain instances, and bypassing them without
sufficient justification may undermine the integrity of the domestic legal
system.
55. Within the context of this Communication, the Commission acknowledges the
Complainant's assertion regarding the ruling of the Vetting Board as
interference with the judiciary; however, this does not absolve the Complainant
e
from the obligation to exhaust available local remedies.
���iL_
Complainant has not presented substantiated evidenc
6 Communications 48/90, 50/91 , 52/9 1 , 89/93-Amnesty International and Others v. Sudan, para
11
African
3
Phon
s' Rights
District,
e Gambia
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0) 441 05 04
Email: au-banjul@africa-union.org