., , . '~ " .... .... ,. ACHPR African Commission on Human and Peoples' Ri~Jhts 62. The Commission ,,_ . Human Rights our Collective Responsibility observes that the requirements of Article 56(2) have been well , , articulated in its decision in Kevin Mwanga Gunme et al v. Cameroon" as cited by , the Complainants. Based on this decision and the submissions of the Complainants, the Commission notes that the present Combunication is brought against the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), aI State Party to the African Charter by the , . Complainants I who are nationals ' of Ethiopia; the Communication before the in 2011, after Commission is brought in respect of alle;bd Ethiopia had ratified the African Charter; and. violations of rights protected by the Africaj C,b,i;l~te,!. . I. (',:l,",' ,.,'i·'" that the Complainants have satisfied Art,ic1~"56(2)' Q_#tl~e ,,'<..., :'.;r~;)~" 63. Regarding Article 56(5), a Complai obvious that the procedure Y prolong~,(r Therefore is;f:U'. " Complainants ~:~:<?;'>.::i nt s~~~:~~.ex~~yst local " I " .,". herein to prq~ide sufHe .,'fitt: reason"(s)\:tP,support their allegation that ~(:';;:J>- ..,:~}9'. ... ,'.' .-\, they have complied witI-pfh~(§~;,dtequir,~:tl 64. The Complainants sub~it th~~ 1 .;f~ / ~~ 'v . -. . en-dsta ,finciple that the provisions of Article 56(5) should be interpreted ',,"\1 peoples' rights \~~ stipulated in the Ch w;~,~;:,;;>and that for domestic remedies to be '" . ,', ":j'J'lv exhausted, they hase to be "available, ef£~efive and sufficient."8 That the Commission ,.' I 'c." > .\ ~r~ " .~ ...... '" 6/03 (2009):~ar~.;~r:;:<)i>':':: ;~/:! ~ &.r 61/91 & 96/'93;'&;98193 & 164/97:& 196/97 & 210/98, Malawi African Association, Amnesty International, Ms Sqrr D ,:.Xpl{,,interafricaine des droits de l'Homme and RADDHO, CollectiJ des veuves et ayants-Droit, Association maurita~i~lJne des4,foits((i Qml1z.~,v. Mauritania, par. 85. The communication conc~:~e9;~ilegatio', ';'egovernment, after it took power in a coup d'etat in 1984, was marginalising Black Ma.'qrifanian ethni ups. The Commission ~ddressed the requirement that local remedies must be exhausted and '~eld that the requirement should not be applied literally as it is sometimes "neither practicable nor desirable" for the complainants or the victims to pursue such internal channels of remedy in every case of a violation of human rights. \)1r",/.,r, I 8 Communication no. 284/o,~;7Zi;nbab'We Lawyers for Human Rights Associated Newspapers oJZimbabwe v. Zimbabwe, par. 101 - 102. The communication'iconcerned the implementation of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). The Commission, in paragraph 101 outlined the respective , burdens on the claimant arid respondent in showing 'exhaustion of local remedies': 'If a Complainant wishes to argue ithat a particular remedy does not have to be exhausted because it is unavailable, ineffective or insufficient, the procedure is as follows: the Complainant states that-the remedy did not have to be exhausted because it is I o~ HlJ.M4N ineffective (or unavailable or insufficient) - this does not yet have to be proven; the Respondent:S(ctt'e$.llstEtRe'O'''I;<\Ia .0 show that the remedy is availa,ble, effective and., sufficien.t; and if tfte Respondent State is ablp4t'~tablish.thiSL\ ~o . 1'1 ~ e': then the Complainant must either demonstrate that he or she did exhaust the remedy, or th~~COU~d no)~a-~~ ~ been effective in the specific case, even if it rnav be effective in general.'; Communication O.,.~250 '(0.2'.IfJesb~t~n.Ze07Jeld a'f1 J , . ,.... n \\.. \{Y:~6~ W 7J Mussie Ephrem v. Eritrea, par. 36 - 37. The communication concerned the alleged illegal 2 2 . ">,,,",' . ;; Ci arrest of 11 former Eritrean government officials in Asmara, Eritr+ on 18 and 19 September.' ~l>I~~ v~li:}tiSJ.Qf~f ,f 6 ACHPR, Co~" ,. " 7 Communicatio i"~ 4- 0() J 14 i P age "'w"" Afric;an(;ci\}lj UnJon\;.~&.- -- '. '.. . .. -... . , : . I The African commis~.~~~~~~~~~f!:;i~e,:~ 31 Bijilo Annex L~I!l..k~6Jt!~0.)~P~.fti~ct, West bbl:rst:R.... egiei"("Gambia Phone: (220) 230 4361 Fax: (220) 441 0504 Email: au-banjul@africa-union.org https.rachpr.au.lnt/O 0 fill