The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights: The System in Practice, 1986-2000

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
CONTENTS......Page 7
CONTRIBUTORS......Page 9
PREFACE......Page 13
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 15
TABLE OF CASES......Page 16
ABBREVIATIONS......Page 21
Ex Africa semper aliquid novi.......Page 23
The role of the OAU......Page 24
The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights: fatally flawed?......Page 27
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights......Page 35
The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child......Page 36
The Grand Bay Declaration......Page 39
The draft protocol on women’s rights......Page 53
Conclusion......Page 56
2 THE REPORTING MECHANISM OF THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS......Page 58
The objectives of the reporting procedure under the African Charter......Page 59
The practice concerning the reporting obligation under the African Charter......Page 61
The content of State reports......Page 66
REPORTS UNDER THE REPORTING GUIDELINES......Page 68
THE AMENDMENT TO THE GUIDELINES......Page 69
EVALUATION......Page 71
THE LEVEL OF STATE REPRESENTATION......Page 74
EXAMINATION......Page 75
TIMING......Page 77
CONCLUSIONS AND FOLLOW-UP......Page 78
NGOS AND ALTERNATE/SHADOW REPORTS......Page 79
Conclusion......Page 80
Introduction......Page 83
Procedure for consideration of admissibility......Page 86
IDENTITY OF THE AUTHOR......Page 88
THE COMMUNICATION MUST BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE OAU CHARTER AND THE AFRICAN CHARTER......Page 90
COMMUNICATIONS MUST NOT BE WRITTEN IN DISPARAGING LANGUAGE......Page 100
COMMUNICATIONS MUST NOT BE BASED SOLELY ON NEWS......Page 102
COMMUNICATIONS MUST BE SENT AFTER LOCAL REMEDIES HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED......Page 103
COMMUNICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED WIRHIN A REASONABLE TIME AFTER LOCAL REMEDIES HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED......Page 113
COMMUNICATIONS MUST NOT HAVE BEEN SETTLED ALREADY IN TERMS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW......Page 114
Admissibility under the Protocol establishing the Court......Page 117
Inter-State communications......Page 119
Conclusion......Page 120
Introduction......Page 122
Types of evidence and their collection......Page 123
WRITTEN MATERIAL......Page 124
ORAL HEARINGS......Page 126
MISSIONS......Page 129
Rules of evidence......Page 131
BURDEN OF PROOF......Page 132
STANDARD OF PROOF......Page 144
ADMISSIBILITY AND ISSUES OF WEIGHT......Page 149
Aims of the communication procedure......Page 154
Conclusion......Page 157
Introduction......Page 159
General provisions......Page 160
THE RIGHT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION......Page 166
THE RIGHT TO BODILY INTEGRITY AND THE RIGHT TO LIFE......Page 169
THE RIGHT TO DIGNITY AND PROHIBITION OF TORTURE AND INHUMAN TREATMENT......Page 172
THE RIGHT TO LIBERTY AND SECURITY......Page 174
THE RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL......Page 177
FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE......Page 185
THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION......Page 186
FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION......Page 190
THE RIGHT TO ASSEMBLE FREELY WITH OTHERS......Page 192
FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT......Page 193
THE RIGHT OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION......Page 194
THE RIGHT TO PROPERTY......Page 196
OTHER RIGHTS......Page 197
Conclusion......Page 198
Introduction......Page 200
The normative framework for economic, social and cultural rights in the African charter......Page 209
CROSS-CUTTING RIGHT......Page 210
‘NEW’ RIGHT......Page 212
CLASSIC ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS......Page 214
WOMEN, TRADITION AND CULTURE......Page 215
The nature of States Parties’ obligations regarding economic, social and cultural rights under the African Charter......Page 217
IMPLICATIONS FOR OVERSIGHT......Page 219
Implementing economic, social and cultural rights in the African Charter......Page 220
STATE REPORTING......Page 223
ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS IN THE CASEWORK OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION......Page 228
ACCESS TO THE AFRICAN COMMISSION AS AN ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHT......Page 229
THE SUBSTANTIVE CONTENT OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS IN THE CASE LAW OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION......Page 231
Towards a coherent philosophy and programme of implementation for economic, social and cultural rights under the Charter......Page 236
Culturalism and the universality of human rights......Page 241
Individual duties......Page 250
Rights of peoples......Page 253
PRACTICAL EXAMPLES......Page 256
African customary law and discrimination against women......Page 259
Religion......Page 263
Conclusions......Page 265
The African Commission......Page 268
Observer status......Page 271
Participation in sessions......Page 274
Media and publicity......Page 277
Complaints mechanism......Page 279
State reporting procedure......Page 281
Assistance in regard to missions......Page 284
Workshops and seminars......Page 286
PRINCIPLES ON THE RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL......Page 287
PROTOCOL ON WOMAN\'S RIGHTS......Page 288
Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions......Page 290
Special Rapporteur on prisons and conditions of detention in Africa......Page 291
Special Rapporteur on women......Page 293
Supporting the Secretariat......Page 294
Extraordinary session on Nigeria......Page 295
African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights......Page 296
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child......Page 300
Conclusion......Page 301
Introduction......Page 302
The Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions......Page 304
The Special Rapporteur on Prisons and Conditions of Detention......Page 311
The Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa......Page 317
ALL SPECIAL RAPPORTEURS HAVE BEEN COMMISSIONERS......Page 320
RELIANCE ON NGO.......Page 322
FUNDING......Page 323
THE LACK OF A CLEAR MANDATE......Page 324
Conclusion......Page 325
Introduction......Page 327
The drafting process......Page 330
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE COURT AND THE COMMISSION......Page 338
LOCUS STANDI BEFORE THE COURT......Page 340
CONSIDERATION OF CASES: ADMISSIBILITY, SOURCES OF LAW, HEARINGS, EVIDENCE AND FINDINGS......Page 344
NOMINATION, ELECTION AND TERMS OF SERVICE OF JUDGES......Page 348
OFFICERS AND STAFF......Page 350
AN ASSESSMENT......Page 351
Making text manifest: directions the court may take......Page 352
Conclusion......Page 356
Introduction......Page 357
PUBLICATIONS......Page 358
RESOLUTIONS AND PRESS RELEASES......Page 360
LECTURES AND CONFERENCES......Page 361
Promotional visits......Page 363
Promotional and protective activities united......Page 366
State reports......Page 368
Special Rapporteurs......Page 369
ROLE OF STATES AND NATIONAL COURTS......Page 370
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISTIONS AND NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS......Page 371
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS......Page 373
Conclusion......Page 374
Preamble......Page 375
CHAPTER I HUMAN AND PEOPLES\' RIGHT......Page 376
CHAPTER II DUTIES......Page 381
CHAPTER I ESTABLISHMENT AND ORGANISATION OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES\' RIGHTS......Page 382
CHAPTER II MANDATE OF THE COMMISSION......Page 384
COMMUNICATIONS FROM STATES......Page 385
OTHER COMMUNICATIONS......Page 386
CHAPTER IV APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES......Page 388
Part III General provisions......Page 389
APPENDIX 2 PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE AFRICAN COURT ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS......Page 390
APPENDIX 3 GRAND BAY (MAURITIUS) DECLARATION AND PLAN OF ACTION......Page 398
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 405
INDEX......Page 413