Aug 13, 2010 | Events
On 13th and 14th August 2010, the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) held their Half Annual General Meeting in Dodoma, Tanzania, with Arnold Tsunga, Director of the ICJ Africa Regional Programme, as a guest speaker.
The theme of the meeting was The TLS at 56 – Interrogating the Role of the Law Society in Consolidating Rule of Law and Democracy in Tanzania. Arnold Tsunga (photo) presented a paper at the meeting titled “Rule of Law and Elections in Africa – Recent Experiences.
Tanzania-Law election experiences-event-2010 (full text in English, PDF)
Aug 12, 2010 | Agendas, Events
The ICJ has invited to a 4-day Camp around 35 experts from the SADC regions to exchange experience, identify risks, difficulties and opportunities for a better protection and enjoyment of ESC rights.
Although economic, social and cultural rights continue suffering from prejudices against their legal nature and their ability to be enforced by courts, developments in international and national law in the last two decades have reinforced their status as “real” human rights as well as their equal value and importance.
At the regional level, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights particularly emphasizes the interdependence of human rights. Moreover, the Charter does not differentiate between provisions for the realization of economic, social and cultural rights and those for the realization of civil and political rights.
Such equal treatment provides the possibility to challenge states’ reluctance or failure to protect, promote and fulfill socio- economic rights in the South Africa Development Community (SADC).
However, most challenges to human rights violations in the SADC region have tended to focus on violations of civil and political rights even though economic and social rights are daily concerns of the people. This gap is particularly due to a lack of capacity of the lawyers and human rights activists as well as social justice practitioners who are interested in socio-economic rights advocacy and litigation.
In order to contribute to reduce this gap, the Africa regional office of the International Commission of Jurists has invited to a 4-day ESCR Camp around 35 experts from the SADC regions. Together with international experts on economic, social and cultural rights, the participants will, exchange experience, identify risks, difficulties and opportunities for a better protection and enjoyment of these human rights.
South Africa-ESCR advocacy litigation-agenda-2010 (full text in English, PDF)
South Africa-ESCR advocacy litigation-event-2010 (ful text in English, PDF)
Aug 10, 2010 | News
The ICJ and Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) today welcomed the permanent stay of all charges against leading human rights advocate and ICJ Commissioner, Imrana Jalal.
Aug 10, 2010
The ICJ and Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) welcome the ruling the High Court of Fiji to permanently stay the remaining charge under local business licensing regulations against Imrana Jalal.
The high profile manner in which Ms. Jalal was criminally prosecuted for what are normally minor civil charges raised concerns internationally that she was being unfairly targeted by the interim government for her outspoken criticisms of its legitimacy and human rights record.
Fiji-permanent stay charges Jalal-analysis brief-2010 (full text in English, PDF)
Jul 27, 2010
The ICJ and other human rights groups sent an open letter to the Prime Minister to express concern at the recent announcement that Trinidad and Tobago will imminently resume execution of its death row prisoners.
Trinidad and Tobago-letter Prime Minister-open letter-2010 (full text in English, PDF)