Suchergebnisse

Contrary to popular belief, there is a vast body of law dealing with human rights in Africa in existence today. The first priority at the moment is consequently not the adoption of new norms, or the creation of even more structures, the most immediate challenge lies in making the existing structures work and ensuring compliance with the norms already accepted by African societies. Access to the relevant material constitutes a necessary precondition for any other gains in this field. The aim of this reference work is, therefore, to make African human rights law accessible to all those involved in or interested in human rights law on the continent, in order to strengthen its impact. Primary documents are introduced and reproduced and presented in a coherent framework. The main institutions - public and private - dealing with human rights in Africa are identified and discussed. Comprehensive overviews of the international human rights legal regimes applicable to Africa, as well as country reports are provided. Access to this body of law will enable judges, practicing lawyers, academics and other researchers, as well as law reformers, NGOs, activists and students, to both ascertain and assert these rights. It will also serve to ensure the development of a stronger indigenous African human rights jurisprudence, rooted in local experience, history, culture and practices. This book consequently tries to contribute towards documenting, systemising and anchoring the African human rights system. This publication replaces and updates the earlier Human Rights Law in Africa Series, which appeared on an annual basis from 1996 to 1999. In order to make the publication accessible in Africa, the Centre for Human Rights and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden have undertaken a targeted distribution campaign on the continent. The print edition is available as a set of two volumes (9789004138810)

A wide range of topics is covered for the first time in this volume, including resolutions of various OAU bodies in respect of human rights; the relevant provisions of the treaties establishing sub-regional inter-governmental organisations; and the founding documents of national human rights institutions in Africa

As from 2012 no new volumes will be published in this series. The Human Rights Law in Africa Series is an evolving reference work on human rights law in Africa. The Series covers in particular the primary documents related to human rights law in Africa of the United Nations, the Organization of African Unity, and the domestic legal systems of all 53 African countries. Some selected factual discussions are also included, as well as bibliographies. The Series has been published on an annual basis since 1996. Later volumes supplement and do not replace earlier ones. Each volume covers new documents available to the editors up to the 1st of January of that year. Documents published in earlier volumes and that are still valid are not reprinted in subsequent volumes; instead readers are provided with the appropriate references to earlier volumes

Journalists play a central role in fostering a society based on the open discussion of facts and the pursuit of the truth, as opposed to one based on rumor, prejudice, and the naked exercise of power. As a result, journalists are often literally in the line of fire and deserve special protection. This article considers the characteristics of deadly attacks on journalists over the last two decades and examines how the applicable legal and policy frameworks can be used better or improved to provide a higher level of protection. Impunity, often a by-product of the politicized nature of journalistic activities, is seen as the major cause of continuous attacks on journalists. The conclusion is drawn that one of the key elements of a strategy to better protect journalists is to "elevate" the issue on a number of fronts: to move prevention and accountability from the local to the central level within domestic jurisdictions, while simultaneously heightening the level of international engagement with this issue.

One of the most crucial and enduring questions about "targeted killings" is: How will the currently expanding practices of singling out individuals in advance and eliminating them in other countries without accountability impact the established international legal system? International law, since at least World War II, has developed various mechanisms to limit killing in general, including targeted killings. These take the form of vigorous protections for the right to life under human rights law; safeguards against the interstate use of force while permitting states to protect themselves where necessary; and aiming to strike a balance between the principles of humanity and military necessity during armed conflict through international humanitarian law (IHL).