Jun 3, 2011 | Events
The ECOWAS Court has played a commendable role in upholding human rights and the rule of law and in imposing remedies where violations have occurred.
However, its much applauded judgements and pronouncements has been followed by poor state compliance and a gap of effective implementation or enforcement measures. Failure to move from good judgements to effective implementation or enforcement thereof has continued to seriously hamper the effectiveness of the ECOWAS Court and to lessen public confidence in its role as a custodian of the rule of law and human rights in the West African sub-region.
In view of this, it is worth bringing together legal and human rights practitioners, academics and activists from West Africa to deliberate on mechanisms and strategies for an effective implementation and enforcement of judicial decisions from the ECOWAS Court. The symposium will be held in Dakar, Senegal, on 6- 7 June 2011.
Learning from positive and negative experiences from other African sub-regional courts, the discussions will focus on a wide range of topics, identify the role of sub-regional lawyers and human rights activists and put in place strategies for their active involvement in the effective implementation and enforcement of judicial decisions from the ECOWAS Court.
West Africa-judical decisions ECOWAS Court concept note-events-2011-eng (concept notes in English, PDF)
West Africa-judicial decisions ECOWAS Court programme-events-2011-eng (programme in English, PDF)
May 17, 2011 | Events
The ICJ and the Southern African Chief Justices’ Forum (SACJF) will be hosting the 2nd Judges’ Summer Colloquium on ‘Independence of the Judiciary as a Challenge to Democracy, Human Rights and Rule of Law’.
The event, to take place in Livingstone (Zambia), from 19 – 21 May, 2011 will provide space for a critical review of the current state of judicial independence in the East and Southern Africa region, by the Chief Justices from the judiciaries within the region, Judges from Zambia, and stakeholders from continental and regional institutions including the ICJ, OSISA, IAWJ, SADC LA, UN agencies, NGOs and academic institutions. Over 60 participants from national, regional and international institutions are expected to attend
Zambia-human rights and rule of law-event-2011 (full text, PDF)
May 12, 2011 | News
The ICJ and other Human Rights groups today expressed their concern at the ongoing prosecution of Judge Maria Lourdes Afiuni.
The organizations called on the Venezuelan authorities to ensure that the trial against the Venezuelan tenured criminal judge comply with all fair trial guarantees provided under international law and Venezuelan Constitution, and hearings be held in public, with access provided to national and international observers.
Venezuela-judge Maria Lourdes Afiuni trail-press release-2011
Apr 28, 2011 | News
The ICJ today called upon Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the transitional government to take immediate, concrete, measures to protect human rights.
These measures should aim to end the practice of torture and arbitrary detention; pursue accountability for serious human violations; ensure that civilians are not prosecuted before military courts; and adopt, in accordance with international standards, legal and policy reforms necessary to establish the Rule of Law and effective democratic institutions in Egypt.
Egypt-establishment of effective democratic institutions-press release-2011 (full text, PDF)
Apr 27, 2011 | News
On April 21, the ICJ observed an appeal hearing at the cassation instance of St. Petersburg City Court.
ICJ Commissioner Gulnora Ishankhanova and Russian lawyer Maxim Timofeyev acted as the ICJ observers.
Russian Federation-appeal hearing-St. Petersburg-web story-2011-eng (full text in English, PDF)
Russian Federation-appeal hearing-St. Petersburg-web story-2011-rus ( full text in Russian, PDF)
