60. In view of the above, the Court concludes that the Application meets all the admissibility conditions under Article 56 of the Charter, restated in Rule 50(2) of the Rules, and therefore, declares it admissible. VII. MERITS 61. The Applicant alleges the violation of the right to a fair trial, the right to life and the right to dignity protected under Articles 7, 4 and 5, respectively, of the Charter and his right to consular assistance under Article 36 of the VCCR. The Court will examine these allegations in turn. A. Alleged violation of the right to a fair trial 62. The Applicant alleges a violation of his right to a fair trial protected under Article 7 of the Charter through the violation of the right to be tried within a reasonable time, the right to defence and the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty by a competent court or tribunal. i. Alleged violation of the right to be tried within a reasonable time 63. The Applicant alleges that being held in pre-trial detention for eight (8) years, that is from his arrest on 21 July 2004 to the commencement of his trial on 19 June 2012, is an unreasonably long period which is a violation of his right to a fair trial. The Applicant submits that such time was unreasonable because his case was not complex, and the delay was attributable to the Respondent State. In substantiating his allegations, the Applicant submits that the Respondent State’s undue delay in bringing him before the domestic courts was prejudicial to him as it undermined his ability to challenge stale and contradictory witness testimony and impaired his ability to defend himself against the charges. 17