{"id":3333,"date":"2011-07-25T16:46:27","date_gmt":"2011-07-25T13:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.african-court.org\/wpafc\/?p=3333"},"modified":"2020-07-14T16:48:44","modified_gmt":"2020-07-14T13:48:44","slug":"key-note-speech-by-the-honorable-justice-gerard-niyungeko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.african-court.org\/afchpr\/key-note-speech-by-the-honorable-justice-gerard-niyungeko\/","title":{"rendered":"KEY NOTE SPEECH BY THE HONORABLE JUSTICE GERARD NIYUNGEKO."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KEY NOTE SPEECH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE HONORABLE JUSTICE GERARD NIYUNGEKO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE PRESIDENT OF THE AFRICAN COURT ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES\u2019 RIGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ON THE OCCASION OF<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE COLLOQUIUM OF LEGAL SCHOLARS ON THE AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS\u2019 SYSTEM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

25JULY 2011<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ARUSHA<\/strong>, TANZANIA<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.<\/strong> I feel greatly honored to have been invited to make the key note speech during this Colloquium of Legal Scholars on the African Human Rights System. Allow me to thank the organizers of this colloquium, the Pan African Lawyers\u2019 Union for extending this invitation to me. This colloquium neatly dovetails into<\/strong> the program of the Court aimed at sensitizing stakeholders, particularly legal scholars and practitioners, to ensure that they are aware of how and when to approach the Court on human rights issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Je voudrais egalement feliciter le PALU pour les differentes initiatives qu\u2019il a prises, notamment en rapport avec son projet d\u2019elaboration <\/strong>of an International Courts and Tribunals\u2019Strategy that will definine how it will utilize and promote the utilization of the existing African international judicial and quasi judicial institutions to contribute to democracy, good governance the just rule of law, protection and promotion of human and peoples\u2019 rights, and peace security and stability on the African continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also my great honor to convey to all of you a warm welcome to the city of the seat<\/strong> of the Court and the greetings from my colleagues, Judges of the African Court on Human and Peoples\u2019 Rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Trente ans apr\u00e8s l\u2019adoption de la Charte africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peuples, pr\u00e8s de vingt- cinq ans apr\u00e8s la mise en place de la Commission africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peoples, cinq ans apr\u00e8s la mise en place de la Cour africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peuples, le moment est effectivement venu de reflechir en profondeur sur le systeme africain des droits de l\u2019homme  en general, et sur la Cour africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peoples en particulier<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

L\u2019on sait que largement compris, le systeme africain comporte non seulement le volet continental qui au centre de nos preoccupations, mais egalement le volet sous-regional et meme les volets nationaux qu\u2019il faut toujours integrer dans toute reflexion qui se veut comprehensive. C\u2019est d\u2019ailleurs ce que les organisateurs de ce colloque ont souhaite faire, a tout le moins en partie, puisque la question des Cours de Justice des Communautes regionales est egalement incluse dans le champ de la reflexion ici entreprise.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pour ma part, je limiterai mon propos \u00e0 quelques informations et quelques reflexions sur la Cour africaine des droits de  l\u2019homme et des peuples, et specialement en ce qui concerne la place centrale qu\u2019elle occupe dans le systeme africain des droits de l\u2019homme,  les developpements recents \u00e0 la Cour, et les perspectives d\u2019avenir.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distinguished participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Je ne m\u2019attarderai pas sur la question de la place  que la Cour occupe dans le systeme africain des droits de l\u2019homme. Si apr\u00e8s deux decennies de resistances ou d\u2019hesitations, l\u2019adoption de la Charte africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peuples en juin 1981, constitue la premiere  avanc\u00e9e historique majeure dans le systeme africain des droits de la personne, si la mise en place effective de la Commission africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et  des peuples en 1987 constitue l\u2019autre pas decisif dans le developpement  de ce systeme, eh bien, la mise en place de la Cour africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peuples en 2006 constitue sans contexte l\u2019etape de parachevement de la construction juridique du systeme. Cr\u00e9\u00e9e pour completer les fonctions de protection  que la Charte africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peuples a confer\u00e9es a la Commission, la Cour se particularise par le pouvoir exclusif qu\u2019elle a de rendre  des jugements obligatoires et executoires pour les Etats concern\u00e9s.<\/strong> This mission provides it with an opportunity to further develop the African human rights system and the jurisprudence which has been developed thus far by the Commission. The Court\u2019s jurisdiction and applicable law provides it with a wide toolkit<\/strong> to apply towards developing the African human rights system and jurisprudence and charting new grounds for human rights in Africa and internationally. Being the only continental judicial body charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the provisions of the Charter are respected and observed places the Court at the apex of the African human rights system and with that, an opportunity to strengthen this architecture and blaze the trail<\/strong> for its future advancement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Mais, il faut tout de suite noter que la place centrale qu\u2019occupe la Cour dans le systeme a egalement ses limites. La limite conceptuelle majeure qu\u2019il convient de souligner resulte des dispositions du Protocole  de juin 1998 portant creation de la Cour, qui prevoient que les individus et les organisations non- gouvernementales ne peuvent saisir la Cour que si l\u2019Etat contre lequel ils agissent a prealablement fait une declaration speciale reconnaissant la competence de la Cour pour connaitre des requetes emanant de particuliers. Or, comme l\u2019on sait, a ce jour, seuls cinq Etats africains ont sign\u00e9 et depos\u00e9 cette declaration. Il s\u2019agit, dans l\u2019ordre chronologique du depot de la declaration, du Burkina Faso, du Malawi, du Mali, de la Tanzanie et du Ghana.  Cet etat de choses place le systeme africain  dans une  situation paradoxale dans laquelle les Etats membres de l\u2019Union africaine ont cree et mis en place une Cour africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peuples, lui ont donne des moyens minimaux de fonctionnement, mais ont pratiquement garde fermee, pour les populations africaines, la porte d\u2019acces a la Cour. Si cette situation devait perdurer, c\u2019est tout le systeme de protection judiciaire des droits de l\u2019homme a l\u2019echelle continentale, incarn\u00e9 par la Cour, qui serait compromise.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. L\u2019autre limite syst\u00e9mique, plus courante parce qu\u2019inherente au droit international general, resulte de l\u2019exigence d\u2019une ratification du Protocole portant creation de la Cour par les Etats, pour que des actions puissent  etre port\u00e9es contre eux. Comme l\u2019on sait \u00e0 nouveau, \u00e0 ce jour, seuls vingt-six Etats africains  ont d\u00e9j\u00e0 ratifie le Protocole, ce qui limite considerablement le champ d\u2019action potentiel de la Cour \u00e0 moins de la moiti\u00e9 des Etats du continent.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distinguished participants, Ladies and Gentlemen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. En ce qui concerne les developpements r\u00e9cents  \u00e0 la Cour africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peuples, laissez-moi d\u2019abord vous dire qu\u2019entre 2006 et 2008, la Cour a surtout travaille \u00e0 son operationalisation administrative, et a pu obtenir des moyens minimaux de fonctionnement en termes de budget et du personnel du greffe, ainsi qu\u2019un siege provisoire, et a pu egalement elaborer et adopter son reglement interieur.  A la fin de l\u2019annee 2008, la Cour etait donc prete a recevoir ses premieres requetes. Malheureusement, entre 2008 et 2010, la Cour n\u2019a enregistre et traite qu\u2019une seule affaire, introduite par un ressortissant tchadien contre l\u2019Etat du Senegal, en rapport avec l\u2019afffaire Hissein Habre.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Par rapport \u00e0 cette situation,  deux developpements recents meritent d\u2019etre mentionnes. Le premier est que, consciente que sans une action de promotion de la Cour, celle-ci risquait de demeurer longtemps sans affaires, la Cour a entrepris des actions  de sensibilisation en direction de toutes les entites et personnes susceptibles de la saisir.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. A cet egard, la Cour a d\u2019abord travaill\u00e9 en direction de la Commission africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peuples qui est une des entit\u00e9s susceptibles de la saisir en matiere contentieuse. Comme le lui demande le Protocole portant sa creation, elle a pris l\u2019initiative d\u2019une harmonization de son Reglement interieur avec celui de la Commission. A cet effet, les deux institutions se sont reunies \u00e0 trois reprises, en juillet 2009, en octobre 2009 et en avril 2010. Elles ont ainsi harmonis\u00e9 leurs reglements interieurs respectifs, ce qui a ouvert la voie a la Commission pour pouvoir saisir la Cour.<\/strong> The Court has also continued to build on its relationship with the Commission, not only on issues of complementarity but also through regular institutional exchanges at the level of the two Bureaus, of the two institutions, as well as at the level of  the Court\u2019s Registry and the Commission\u2019s Secretariat. The first Bureaus meeting took place in March 2011, and the first annual meeting of the two institutions is planned for this year. Contrary to contentions by some scholars that there is tension between our two institutions, the relationship is developing well and our continued interaction is deepening it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. La Cour a ensuite decid\u00e9 de mener des actions destinees a la faire connaitre aupres de ses autres usagers potentiels. <\/strong>For this sensitization campaign, the Court is using a three-pronged strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first strategy is to target States Parties to the Court\u2019s Protocol which have made the Declaration allowing individuals and NGOs direct access to the Court. The Court held its first national sensitization seminar in December 2010, here in Tanzania, in Dar es Salaam. In March this year, the Court organized a continental awareness-raising conference in Lilongwe, Malawi, bringing together stakeholders from across African Union Member States. We have just returned from Burkina Faso and Mali where we were for the past one and a half weeks. The seminar for Ghana is scheduled for December this year on the margins of the Court\u2019s Twenty Third Ordinary Session. For States targeted under this strategy, the focus is to provide, individuals and NGOs including Bar Associations and the wider civil society, with the tools they need to access the Court. Courtesy calls are also made to high authorities in government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second strategy is to target States Parties to the Court\u2019s Protocol that are yet to make the Declaration, with a view to encouraging them to do so. To this end, the Court plans to meet with the highest State representatives, while also meeting with civil society actors, passing on information about itself to these stakeholders. States to be visited this year under this strategy include Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda [[verifier et completer]].<\/strong>  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where States have neither ratified the Court\u2019s Protocol, nor deposited the Declaration, the Court employs the third strategy of advocating for such ratification of the Protocol and the deposit of the Declaration. This has mainly been through the African Union Summits and other Policy Organs\u2019 for a, as well as interactions with States\u2019 representatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Par ailleurs, nous attirons regulierement l\u2019attention de tous les Etats membres de l\u2019Union africaine et des organes de cette derniere, sur la possibilite que leur donne le Protocole portant creation de la Cour, de demander, en dehors de tout differend,  des avis consultatifs a la Cour sur des questions relatives aux droits de l\u2019homme.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 In addition, colloquia such as these are important tools in ensuring that all stakeholders share and disseminate information that will enable them to fully utilize the services of the Court as well as to advise others of how they can do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me end on this point, by adding that as a way of establishing contacts and dialogue with other actors in the African human rights system, in October 2010, the Court organized the First Colloquium of African Human Rights Courts and Similar Institutions here in Arusha. This colloquium brought together the continental human rights institutions, namely the Court, the Commission and the ACERWC, some RECS Courts, namely the Community Court of Justice of ECOWAS, the East African Court of Justice and the SADC Tribunal as well as the East African Chief Justices Forum. One of Colloquium\u2019s resolutions was that the colloquium be held biennially. It is planned that that the next colloquium will have representation of all existing RECS Courts and of national judiciaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distinguished participants, Ladies and Gentlemen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Le second developpement important, et qui est en partie une consequence de l\u2019action de sensibilisation entreprise, est qu\u2019il existe depuis quelques mois, un mouvement d\u2019intensification de la saisine de la Cour.<\/strong>This year, so far, the Court has received ten applications and one request for an advisory opinion. This response is very encouraging for the Court and shows that stakeholders\u2019 confidence in the Court is growing.  The applications received are as follows. Sur les dix requetes recues en matiere contentieuse, une a ete introduite par la Commission africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peuples ; les autres ont ete introduites soit par des individus, soit par des organizations non gouvernementales. Sur les dix memes requetes, neuf sont dirigees contre des Etats, et une est dirigee contre l\u2019Union africaine, en tant qu\u2019organisaion internationale. Parmi les requetes introduites  contre les Etats, une est dirigee contre un Etat qui n\u2019a pas ratifie le Protocole portant creation de la Cour ; les huit autres sont dirigees contre des Etats qui ont ratifie le Protocole. Cinq de ces huit requetes sont dirigees contre des Etats qui n\u2019ont pas fait la declaration speciale reconnaissant la competence de la Cour pour recevoir des requetes emanant de paticuliers, tandis que trois requetes sont dirigees contre deux Etats ayant fait une telle declaration. La  demande d\u2019avis consultative emane d\u2019un  Etat partie au Protocole portant creation de la Cour.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Au cours de sa session de mars 2011, la Cour a rendu sa premiere ordonnance en indication de mesures provisoires, dans l\u2019affaire Commission africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peuples c. Libye. Au cours de sa session de juin 2011, la Cour a rendu trois decisions dans lesquelles elle a constat\u00e9 son incompetence dans des affaires introduites par des individus, contre des Etats n\u2019ayant pas fait la declaration speciale autorisant les particuliers \u00e0 la saisir.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

De plus amples informations sur les affaires regl\u00e9es au cours de la session de juin 2011 et sur les affaires toujours pendantes devant la Cour seront publi\u00e9es sur le site Web de la Cour, \u00e0 la fin du mois de juillet ou au debut du mois d\u2019aout 2011.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comme on peut le constater, malgr\u00e9 les limites pos\u00e9es \u00e0 sa saisine mentionn\u00e9es plus haut, la Cour est heureusement aujourd\u2019hui rendue a sa phase d\u2019operationnalisation judiciaire. Je pense qu\u2019il y a lieu de se rejouir de ce developpement positif, meme si je le repete, le champ d\u2019application spatial de la juridiction de la Cour reste toujours extremement limit\u00e9.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distinguished participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

11. Dans ces conditions, il me revient maintenant de dire un mot sur ce que l\u2019on peut attendre de la Cour dans un proche avenir. Je crois que lorsque dans notre travail de sensibilisation nous aurons couvert l\u2019ensemble des cinq pays qui ont fait la declaration reconnaissant la competence de la Cour pour connaitre des requetes emanant de particuliers, la Cour sera progressivement saisie d\u2019un nombre croissant d\u2019affaires dirigees contre ces Etats. Par ailleurs, il y a lieu de s\u2019attendre a ce que la Commission africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peuples saisisse elle aussi la Cour de certaines requetes qu\u2019elle aura recues, que celles-ci concernent des allegations de violations massives des droits de l\u2019homme ou des allegations de violations plus circonscrites de ces droits.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

De la sorte, la Cour pourrait alors tres vite developper une jurisprudence sur certaines questions des droits de l\u2019homme, et exercer une influence sur la protection des droits de l\u2019homme a l\u2019echelle continentale. En fait, pour commencer a exercer une telle influence, la Cour n\u2019a pas veritablent besoin de rendre de nombreuses decisions.Si la Cour etait amenee a rendre quelques arrets importants sur des problemes de violations des droits de l\u2019homme courants dans les differents pays africains, avec un bon travail de mediatisation a l\u2019echelle du continent , l\u2019ensemble de ces pays pourraient se sentir concernes par lesdits arrets et decider d\u2019adopter des comportements qui en tiennent compte, alors meme qu\u2019ils  ne sont pas juridiquement parties a ces affaires.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enfin, il ne semble pas exclu que les Etats parties au Protocole portant creation de la Cour, commencent, en dehors de tout contentieux, \u00e0 solliciter les avis de la Cour, au titre de sa comp\u00e9tence consultative, au fur et a mesure qu\u2019ils seront pleinement informes de la possibilit\u00e9 de le faire.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

12. En termes de perspectives, je ne peux pas ne pas rappeler les deux projets de transformation institutionnelle de la Cour africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peuples, en cours dans le cadre de l\u2019Union africaine.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first project is the one on<\/strong> the merger between the Court and the Court of Justice of the African Union with a view of establishing the African Court of Justice and Human Rights. The Merger Protocol was adopted in July 2008 and is now open for ratification. Il faut cependant noter que trois ans apr\u00e8s son adoption, le Protocole portant fusion des deux Cours n\u2019est a ce jour ratifie que par trois Etats seulement, et n\u2019est donc pas encore entre en vigueur.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second project has to do with the possible extension of the Court\u2019s jurisdiction to deal with serious international crimes. Following the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU\u2019s (Assembly) examination of the issue of the abuse of the principle of universal jurisdiction in July 2008, in February 2009, the Assembly adopted a decision directing the Commission of the African Union to, in collaboration with the Court and the Commission, examine the implications of the Court being empowered to deal with serious international crimes. The Assembly reiterated this position in another decision taken in July 2010. Most recently, the Executive Council of the AU also reaffirmed this position while meeting in June this year. A l\u2019heure actuelle, le projet de Protocole portant extension de la comp\u00e9tence de la Cour africaine aux affaires p\u00e9nales est en cours d\u2019examen par les experts gouvernementaux des Etats membres de l\u2019Union africaine.<\/strong> If the jurisdiction of the Court is extended to cover serious international crimes this will be an opportunity for the Court to contribute to the development and consolidation of international criminal law and to establish a viable human rights culture on the African continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En attendant l\u2019aboutissement de ces deux projets de transformation institutionnelle, la Cour africaine des droits de l\u2019homme et des peuples est \u00e0 l\u2019\u0153uvre et poursuit sa mission, en sachant que tout ce qu\u2019elle realise ou construit, aussi bien en mati\u00e8re judiciaire qu\u2019en mati\u00e8re administrative et logistique, constituera un h\u00e9ritage dont b\u00e9n\u00e9ficiera la future Cour africaine aux comp\u00e9tences \u00e9largies.<\/strong> In particular<\/strong>, the Court is soldiering on,<\/strong> in the belief that it is laying a firm legal and jurisprudential foundation to build on for human rights protection in the African Union, to be developed further by the future African Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

13. As<\/strong> you are here to discuss, inter alia<\/em>, the prospects of and challenges for the Court, as<\/strong> eminent international law and international human rights scholars and practitioners, I urge you to consider and deliberate on the collective impact of the prospects and challenges of the Court on its role as a key player in the African human rights system. Much of scholarship on the African human rights system in general and the Court in particular has tended to focus on the Court\u2019s normative framework without examining the impact of the context in which the Court is operating. Issues such as the impact of the myriad of African Union institutions and organs with a human rights mandate on the Court\u2019s effectiveness and the Court\u2019s relationship with the RECS Courts deserve your attention. Your recommendations on this and related issues will be most welcomed by the Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are but a few of the many issues you will consider in the course of your deliberations. Your recommendations in this regard will be most useful to potential litigants and you as their advisers are duty bound to consider all possible scenarios. Your efforts on this will contribute to promoting litigation before RECS Courts and continental quasi-juridical institutions and our Court. Your role as eminent human rights scholars and practitioners is invaluable in this regard and your deliberations today will, no doubt result in recommendations on the Court\u2019s and your own advocacy agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With these remarks, I wish you fruitful deliberations and declare officially open the present Colloquium of Legal Scholars on the African Human Rights\u2019System<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you for all your attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arusha, 25 july 2011  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KEY NOTE SPEECH BY THE HONORABLE JUSTICE GERARD NIYUNGEKO THE PRESIDENT OF THE AFRICAN COURT ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES\u2019 RIGHTS ON THE OCCASION OF THE COLLOQUIUM OF LEGAL SCHOLARS ON THE AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS\u2019 SYSTEM 25JULY 2011 ARUSHA, TANZANIA Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen 1. I feel greatly honored to have been invited to make […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3319,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"jnews_post_split":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media","category-speeches"],"yoast_head":"\nKEY NOTE SPEECH BY THE HONORABLE JUSTICE GERARD NIYUNGEKO. - African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.african-court.org\/afchpr\/key-note-speech-by-the-honorable-justice-gerard-niyungeko\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"KEY NOTE SPEECH BY THE HONORABLE JUSTICE GERARD NIYUNGEKO. - African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"KEY NOTE SPEECH BY THE HONORABLE JUSTICE GERARD NIYUNGEKO THE PRESIDENT OF THE AFRICAN COURT ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES\u2019 RIGHTS ON THE OCCASION OF THE COLLOQUIUM OF LEGAL SCHOLARS ON THE AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS\u2019 SYSTEM 25JULY 2011 ARUSHA, TANZANIA Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen 1. 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