Burkina Faso, apparently as a result of the brutal treatment inflicted on him by presidential security guards who were investigating a case of money stolen from the wife of Francois Compaoré.” 6. The Applicants also claim that “Norbert Zongo had written a series of very critical articles on the matter in which he highlighted numerous irregularities, the refusal of the persons “implicated” to appear before justice, and above all the attempt to stifle a very embarrassing matter in which the family of the President’s brother is deeply involved’. B) Alleged violations 7. The Applicants allege concurrent violations of the provisions of various international human rights instruments to which Burkina Faso is a party. 8. With regard to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (hereinafter referred to as the “Charter’), they allege that article 1 (the obligation to take appropriate measures to give effect to the rights enshrined in the Charter); article 3 (equality before the law and equal protection of the law); article 4 (the right to life); article 7 (the right to have one’s cause heard by competent national courts); and article 9 (the right to express and disseminate his or her opinion) have been violated. 9. Regarding the International Covenant.on Civil and Political Rights (hereinafter referred to as “ICCPR”), they contend that article 2(3) thereof (the right to be heard in case of violation of rights); article 6(1) (the inherent right to life); article 14 (the right to have one’s cause heard by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal); and article 19(2) (freedom of expression) have been violated. 10. As regards the Revised Treaty of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), they allege that article 66.2(c) (the obligation to ensure respect for the rights of journalists) has been violated. 11. With respect to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Applicants allege that article 8 thereof (the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for oe we _ vi