With the support of Open Society Foundations, and in collaboration with the Africa Judges & Jurists Forum, the ICJ today commenced its two-day conference on Rising Judicial Persecution of Human Rights Defenders in Africa, held in Pretoria, South Africa.
Building on a workshop convened by the ICJ in August 2013 for Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) lawyers defending human rights defenders, the conference seeks to raise awareness about rising judicial and security sector persecution of human rights defenders and the impact of this on the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The conference also provides a platform for judicial officers to give their perspectives on the persecution of defenders and, in dialogue with lawyers, to map out strategies to reduce such persecution and increase legal protection.
The conference also looks into the work of regional and international mechanisms for the protection of human rights defenders.
At the conclusion of the conference, consideration will be given to the identification of best practices and recommendations on ensuring protection of human rights defenders subjected to judicial persecution.
Africa-Workshop Programme Rising Judicial Persecution of HRDs-News-Events-2015-ENG (download conference programme, in PDF)
