SUBSTANCE Fair trial / right to have one’s cause heard – article 7 Right to be tried within a reasonable time The Court has reiterated ‘the importance of a speedy judicial process, especially in criminal matters’ (Wilfred Onyango Nganyi & 9 others v Tanzania v The United Republic of Tanzania, application 006/2013, judgment, 18 March 2016, para 127: African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights v Libya, Merits, Application 002/2013, 3 June 2016, para 91). What amounts to a reasonable time should be determined on a case by case basis taking into account the complexity of the case, the conduct of the applicant and the conduct of the domestic judicial authorities: ‘there is no standard period that is considered “as reasonable” for a court to dispose of the matter’ (Onyango para 135-154). Delay caused by the lack of due diligence by national authorities would amount to a violation of the right to be tried within a reasonable time (para 155).

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