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AFRICAN COURT LAW REPORT VOLUME 1 (2006-2016)
7 of Rule 40 of the Rules and Article 56 of the Charter) are not in
contention among the Parties.
74. The Court considers that nothing in the pleadings submitted before
it by the Parties suggests that any of the foregoing conditions has not
been met in the instant case.
75. The Court considers that the said conditions have been met in the
instant case.
B.
The admissibility conditions in contention between the
Parties
i.
Objection to admissibility on the ground of the
language used by the Applicant
76. In its additional observations, the Respondent State maintains that
the Applicant’s written submissions contain insulting language towards
it and its institutions.
77. It argues that when the Applicant states that “the Constitutional
Judge curiously refused to censor this law”, it was casting aspersions
on the credibility of this institution; that by stating that “the President of
the Constitutional Council later tendered his resignation” without
explaining why, the Applicant seems to be insinuating that the
resignation was orchestrated by the institutions of the State, especially
the President of the Republic who appointed the Judge.
78. The Respondent State further submits that casting doubts on the
composition of the Independent Electoral Commission itself is a way of
saying that the election organized by the said Commission is not valid
and, consequently, that the elected President is not worthy of
representing his country.
79. The Respondent State in conclusion maintains that the
aforementioned language is insulting towards it and casts doubts on the
dignity and honour of the President of the Republic.
80. The Applicant denies the Respondent State’s allegations and
submits that the language used is not insulting. It contends that it has
said the truth and that, besides, the information has been disseminated
by the media; that it was only presenting the facts as they happened.
81. In this respect the Commission indicated that:
“... in determining whether a certain remark is disparaging or insulting ... the
Commission has to satisfy itself whether the said remark or language ... is
used in a manner calculated to pollute the minds of the public or any
reasonable man to cast aspersions on and weaken public confidence...”77
82. In the instant case, the Court notes that the Respondent State has
not produced evidence showing that the expressions used above by the
Applicant were disparaging or insulting.
7
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights: Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human
Rights & Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe v Zimbabwe, Communication No
284/2003, 3 April 2009, para 91.