The Prohibition of Torture and Ill-treatment in the African Human Rights System: A HANDBOOK FOR VICTIMS AND THEIR ADVOCATES There is no limit on the length of a communication, but brevity and clarity are considered advantageous. The Commission can receive and process communications in English or French. Communications or supporting documents in other languages must be translated into either French or English, at the author’s expense. The communication should be sent to the Commission’s Secretariat in Banjul, The Gambia, in hard copy or by e-mail.301 The petition may be sent by mail to: Dr. Mary Maboreke, Executive Secretary African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Kairaba Avenue P.O. Box 673 Banjul The Gambia By fax: (220) 4392 962 By e-mail: au-banjul@africa-union.org When in hard copy, it is advisable to send it by courier or recorded delivery in order to be able to confirm its arrival at the Commission. When the Commission receives the communication, the Commission’s Secretariat will assign a number to it and open a file. The file is first reviewed by the Commission’s Secretariat to ensure that the case is suitable to be considered by the Commission. The Commission, for instance, will not receive cases against individuals, non-African States or African States not parties to the African Charter. If the case passes this largely pro-forma phase of acceptance, it goes forward for a decision on admissibility. At this stage, the Commission determines whether the author meets the conditions for admissibility contained in Article 56 of the Charter. These are considered more extensively below. A complainant or counsel may ask to be heard by the Commission at the admissibility phase. The consideration of a communication ends if the Commission finds it inadmissible. If the Commission finds the communication admissible, it proceeds to consider the communication on the merits, at which point the Commission usually notifies the parties. At any point before determining the case on the merits, the Commission may by itself or, at the request of a complainant, make a request for the State to adopt provisional measures to prevent the victim/s from suffering irreparable harm.302 Through hearing notices issued by its Secretariat, the 301 For additional guidance in submitting an individual communication, refer to the example communication in Annex 2, as well as Information Sheet No.2, Guidelines for the Submission of Communications, available at: http://www.achpr.org/files/pages/communications/guidelines/ achpr_infosheet_communications_eng.pdf 302 ACHPR, Rules of Procedure, see supra note 43, Rule 98. 76