South Africa: Military Courts should be allowed to operate independently and without undue influence from political authorities
As the Constitutional Court begins deliberations in a highly consequential case concerning sexual abuse in the South African Military, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has submitted argument that South Africa bears obligations under international law to ensure that courts and tribunals, including military courts, are competent, independent, impartial and allow for a fair and public hearing.
Africa region: a gender-sensitive approach is crucial to realizing women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa
On 2 and 3 July 2024, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Centre for Human Rights (CHR), University of Pretoria, jointly held a colloquium on women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in the Protocol to the African Charter...
Kenya: Authorities should build more public schools and ensure the effective regulation of private Schools
In Mathare, a large informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, there is an urgent need to improve access to quality public education, and to regulate private actors providing educational services in the community. These are some of the key findings in ‘Build Us More Schools’: The Quest for Quality Free Education in Mabatini and Ngei Wards of Mathare, Nairobi, a research report published today.
Kenya: Security forces must refrain from unlawful use of force at ongoing demonstrations
The ICJ recalls that, under international law, security forces must respect the principles of necessity and proportionality and that the use of lethal force is only permissible when strictly necessary to protect life.
South Africa: third-party intervention in Semenya v. Switzerland
The International Commission of Jurists, the Organisation Intersex International Europe and the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association jointly file a third-party intervention before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in a case concerning the South African athlete Caster Semenya.
Recent News
South Africa: Constitutional Court’s affirmation that principles of judicial independence are fully applicable to military courts is a welcome step forward09 May 2025
EU: Lawyers and civil society call for mandatory humanitarian clause in anti-smuggling directive09 May 2025
EU: Access to a lawyer in juvenile justice proceedings remains a key concern in several EU Member States07 May 2025- Tunisia: Arbitrarily detained lawyer Ahmed Souab must be released and criminal charges dropped06 May 2025