The African Human Rights System, Activist Forces and International Institutions

Cover......Page 1
Halt-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Acknowledgements......Page 12
Abbreviations......Page 15
1 The African human rights system, activist forces, and international institutions: an introduction......Page 17
2.1 Introduction......Page 28
2.2 Conventional conceptions of international institutions in general......Page 30
2.2.1 Realism......Page 32
2.2.2 Neo-realism......Page 33
2.2.3 Neo-liberalism......Page 35
2.2.4 Republican or classic liberalism......Page 38
2.2.5 Constructivism......Page 39
2.2.6 Quasi-constructivism......Page 44
2.2.7 State-centrism......Page 46
2.2.8 Emphasis on the international plane......Page 47
2.2.9 Excessive positivism......Page 48
2.2.10 Compliance-centrism......Page 49
Enforcement-based sub-approach......Page 51
Voluntary compliance-based sub-model......Page 53
Blind spots within the compliance-centered approach......Page 54
2.3 Conventional conceptions of international human rights institutions......Page 56
2.3.1 Image of IHIs as weak and ineffectual institutions......Page 57
2.3.2 Two streams of compliance-centrism in the IHI literature......Page 59
2.3.3 Enforcement-centrism in the IHI literature......Page 60
2.3.4 Voluntary compliance-centrism in the IHI literature......Page 63
2.3.5 General absence of holism in much of the IHI literature......Page 64
2.3.6 State-centrism, positivism, and over-emphasis of "the international plane"......Page 65
2.3.7 Excessive focus on institutional architecture, capacity, and efficiency......Page 66
2.3.8 Realism and the effectiveness of IHIs......Page 69
2.3.9 Neo-liberalism and the effectiveness of IHIs......Page 70
2.3.10 Republican liberalism and the effectiveness of IHIs......Page 71
2.3.12 Quasi-constructivism and the effectiveness of IHIs......Page 73
2.3.13 The "ACHPR phenomenon" as a modest challenge to most theories on the effectiveness of IHIs: a brief introduction......Page 75
2.4 Summary of the arguments......Page 77
3.1 Introduction......Page 79
3.2 A brief overview of the African system......Page 81
3.3 Conceptions of the African system as weak and ineffectual......Page 83
3.3.1 On the supposed weakness of the Charter......Page 84
3.3.2 On the supposed weakness of the Commission......Page 87
3.3.3 On the supposed potential weakness of the emergent Court......Page 89
3.4 Conceptions of the ideal African system as a panacea......Page 90
3.5 Conceptions of the textual or organizational reform of the African system as the key to its success......Page 91
3.6 Enforcement-centrism in the conventional conceptions of the African system......Page 94
3.7 Voluntary compliance-centrism in the conventional conceptions of the African system......Page 96
3.8 How does the African system fare overall under the conventional evaluative models?......Page 98
3.9 Are conventional conceptions of the African system adequate?......Page 104
3.10 Summary of the arguments......Page 106
4.1 Introduction......Page 107
4.2 Impact on judicial decision-making and action......Page 112
4.2.1 Zamani Lekwot case......Page 114
4.2.2 Newspapers Registration Decree 43 of 1993 case......Page 117
4.2.3 Frank Ovie Kokori v. General Sani Abacha and four others (No. 3)......Page 119
4.2.4 Muojekwu and others v. Ejikeme and others......Page 120
4.2.5 Right to Passport case......Page 121
4.2.6 Failed Banks Tribunal case......Page 123
4.2.7 The Treaty Supremacy cases......Page 126
4.2.8 Other more marginal cases......Page 130
4.2.9 Overall assessment of the African system’s influence on the Nigerian judiciary......Page 131
4.3 Impact on executive action......Page 132
4.3.1 Acceptance of an investigative mission......Page 133
4.3.2 Endurance of several openly condemnatory resolutions......Page 136
4.3.4 Suspensions of trials and executions......Page 138
4.3.6 Non-enforcement of draconian press laws......Page 141
4.3.7 Nigerian National Human Rights Commission (NNHC)......Page 142
4.4 Impact on legislative action......Page 143
4.4.1 Civil Disturbances (Special Tribunal) Act of 1987......Page 144
4.4.2 State Security (Detention of Persons) Act of 1984......Page 146
4.4.3 Political Parties (Dissolution) Decree 114 of 1999......Page 148
4.4.4 Newspapers Registration Decree 43 of 1993......Page 149
4.5.1 Impact on the work of CSAs......Page 150
4.5.2 Impact on the struggle for press freedom......Page 152
4.5.3 Impact on public attitudes......Page 154
4.6 Assessing the overall impact of the African system within Nigeria......Page 157
4.7.1 Positive factors......Page 164
4.7.2 Negative factors......Page 167
4.8 Summary of the arguments......Page 169
5.1 Introduction......Page 171
5.2 Impact on judicial decision-making and action......Page 172
5.3 Impact on executive deliberation and action......Page 193
5.4 Impact on legislative debate and action......Page 202
5.5 Impact on the work of civil society actors......Page 207
5.6 Assessing the overall impact of the African system within South Africa......Page 216
5.7.1 Positive factors......Page 224
5.7.2 Negative factors......Page 228
5.8 Summary of the arguments......Page 234
6.1 Introduction......Page 236
6.2 Impact on executive thought and action......Page 240
6.3 Impact on judicial decision-making and action......Page 252
6.4 Impact on legislative action......Page 261
6.5 Impact on the activities of civil society actors......Page 266
6.6 Specifying the conditions for the optimization of the domestic impact of the African system......Page 269
6.6.1 Domestic factors......Page 272
6.6.2 African system-specific factors......Page 281
6.6.3 Optimizing the domestic impact of the African system: eight minimum conditions......Page 286
6.7 Summary of the arguments......Page 288
7.1 Introduction......Page 289
7.2 Reducing the emphasis on the domestic analogy......Page 292
7.3 Reducing the emphasis on the textual appropriateness and/or institutional capacity of IHIs......Page 296
7.4 Reaching beyond (while retaining) the state compliance measure......Page 300
7.5 Constitutive role of activist forces in IHI effectiveness......Page 301
7.6 Quasi-constructivism as broadly explanatory of the ACHPR phenomenon......Page 303
7.7 Hypothesizing the measure of IHI effectiveness......Page 309
8 Conclusion......Page 312
Books......Page 318
Journal articles......Page 322
Cases......Page 333
South African Statutes......Page 336
International instruments, regional instruments, commission reports, and resolutions......Page 337
Index......Page 339