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Former president of Botswana leads to “end the epidemic of bad laws” BotswanaEquality Rights Health

Former president of Botswana leads to “end the epidemic of bad laws”

Barbare Lee; Michel Sidibé; Jan Eliason; Helen Clark; Festus Mogae The 9th of July 2012 has proved to be a momentous day for advocates for the repeal of criminal laws against…

Staff Writer21 July 2012

Botswana customary inheritance case: Update from yesterday’s court proceedings BotswanaSocio-economic Rights Climate JusticeSocio-economic Rights Land RightsSocio-economic Rights News

Botswana customary inheritance case: Update from yesterday’s court proceedings

Yesterday, the High Court in Botswana heard final arguments in a case challenging the Ngwaketse customary law rule which permits only for male inheritance of the family home. Previously, the Court had…

Staff Writer20 July 2012

Litigating against loitering laws – PILG panel Criminal JusticeCriminal Justice Criminal Law ReformCriminal Justice Prison ReformResources

Litigating against loitering laws – PILG panel

The Public Interest Law Gathering, organised from 11 to 13 July 2012 in Johannesburg, reflected on some of the challenges to public interest litigation. Among the different panels, was one on…

Staff Writer13 July 2012

Police, NPA to appeal ruling in torture case ArticlesInternational Justice ArticlesInternational Justice NewsInternational Justice TortureInternational Justice Torture ArticlesSouth AfricaZimbabwe

Police, NPA to appeal ruling in torture case

The Business Day THE national director of public prosecutions and the national police commissioner still want to appeal against a high court judgment which ruled that the head of the…

Staff Writer13 July 2012

BOTSWANA: AIDS RESPONSE MUST BE GUIDED BY HUMAN RIGHTS AND JUSTICE BotswanaCivic Rights

BOTSWANA: AIDS RESPONSE MUST BE GUIDED BY HUMAN RIGHTS AND JUSTICE

In Botswana and across Africa, HIV continues to prey on women, sex workers and men who have sex with men. It is clear that to end the HIV epidemic, we…

Staff Writer13 July 2012

Policing sex work in Zimbabwe – An appropriate response? Resources

Policing sex work in Zimbabwe – An appropriate response?

During the last two weeks of May 2012, police in Harare once again conducted operations to arrest women in bars and night clubs. According to the Harare police, these operations…

Staff Writer29 June 2012

Lawyers in Malawi encourage law reform to promote the rights of LGBT Equality Rights LGBTIQ+Malawi

Lawyers in Malawi encourage law reform to promote the rights of LGBT

Left to Right: Mandala Mambulasa, Undule Mwakusungula, Gift Trapence, Gift Mwakwawa   On 21 June 2012, lawyers affiliated to the Malawi Law Society attended a workshop in Blantyre to discuss…

Staff Writer26 June 2012

How close is an African Criminal Court? ArticlesInternational JusticeInternational Justice ArticlesInternational Justice NewsInternational Justice War CrimesInternational Justice War Crimes ArticlesRule of LawSADCSouth Africa

How close is an African Criminal Court?

IRIN News JOHANNESBURG, 13 June 2012 (IRIN) – The long-running spat between the African Union (AU) and International Criminal Court (ICC) over perceived bias has prompted the AU to push…

Staff Writer13 June 2012

AU summit: Malawi stands with Darfur victims – government won’t host summit if Al-Bashir attends International JusticeInternational Justice NewsInternational Justice War CrimesMalawiSADC

AU summit: Malawi stands with Darfur victims – government won’t host summit if Al-Bashir attends

Malawi’s president, Joyce Banda, continues to impress. See the latest press release from African civil society organisations regarding Malawi’s decision not to host the AU Summit. The Summit will now…

Staff Writer12 June 2012

Malawi drops AU Summit over Sudanese leader International Justice ResourcesInternational Justice War CrimesMalawiSADC

Malawi drops AU Summit over Sudanese leader

CNN (CNN) — Malawi said it won’t host an African Union summit next month because the organization wants Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese leader accused of war crimes in Darfur, to attend.…

Staff Writer12 June 2012

AU initiative courts controversy ArticlesInternational JusticeInternational Justice ArticlesInternational Justice NewsInternational Justice War CrimesInternational Justice War Crimes ArticlesSADC

AU initiative courts controversy

The Post Alan Wallis It would appear that international criminal justice is on the up. The International Criminal Court (ICC) delivered its first guilty verdict in the trial of Congolese…

Staff Writer7 June 2012

UN High Commissioner for human rights’ visit to Zimbabwe highlights the indivisibility of human rights Equality RightsEquality Rights LGBTIQ+Equality Rights NewsZimbabwe

UN High Commissioner for human rights’ visit to Zimbabwe highlights the indivisibility of human rights

On Friday 25 May 2012, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, issued a statement at a press conference in Harare reflecting on her 5 day mission to Zimbabwe. This was…

Staff Writer28 May 2012

ICC ‘Not targeting African leaders’ ArticlesInternational JusticeInternational Justice ArticlesInternational Justice NewsInternational Justice War CrimesInternational Justice War Crimes ArticlesSADCSouth Africa

ICC ‘Not targeting African leaders’

News 24 Cape Town – The incoming chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has dismissed criticism that the court is biased against African states. Fatou Bensouda, a former Gambian…

Staff Writer24 May 2012

The ins and outs of same-sex marriages ArticlesEquality RightsEquality Rights ArticlesEquality Rights LGBTIQ+Equality Rights LGBTIQ+ ArticlesEquality Rights NewsZimbabwe

The ins and outs of same-sex marriages

The Thought Leader, Mail&Guardian By Anneke Meerkotter The first thing you are confronted with when you walk into the service section of the South African embassy in Harare is a…

Anneke Meerkotter24 May 2012

When will we recognize that hate speech against the LGBT community is not OK? Civic RightsCivic Rights ArticlesCivic Rights ExpressionCivic Rights Expression ArticlesCivic Rights NewsEquality RightsEquality Rights ArticlesEquality Rights LGBTIQ+Equality Rights LGBTIQ+ ArticlesEquality Rights NewsSADC

When will we recognize that hate speech against the LGBT community is not OK?

Increasingly, leaders in Africa are able to propagate hate speech against LGBT persons with shameless impunity. On 10 May 2012, for example, at a community gathering, the Zimbabwean Minister of Local…

Staff Writer17 May 2012

We are the best hope for torture victims in Zimbabwe ArticlesInternational JusticeInternational Justice ArticlesInternational Justice NewsInternational Justice TortureInternational Justice Torture ArticlesZimbabwe

We are the best hope for torture victims in Zimbabwe

The Business Day By Nicole Fritz LAST week, the North Gauteng High Court ruled that SA’s investigating and prosecuting authorities must investigate systematic torture amounting to crimes against humanity committed…

Nicole Fritz16 May 2012

Botswana High Court hears customary inheritance law case: Update from the courtroom Resources

Botswana High Court hears customary inheritance law case: Update from the courtroom

Yesterday, the Botswana High Court heard arguments in Mmusi and Others v Ramantele and Another, a case challenging the Ngwaketse customary law rule which provides for male-only inheritance of the…

Staff Writer15 May 2012

South African court ruling blow to Mugabe ArticlesInternational JusticeInternational Justice ArticlesInternational Justice NewsInternational Justice TortureInternational Justice Torture ArticlesSouth AfricaZimbabwe

South African court ruling blow to Mugabe

Times Live HEADSTRONG: Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa says the court ruling in South Africa is irrelevant. Zanu-PF was dealt a blow this week when a high court…

Staff Writer13 May 2012

South Africa ordered to probe Mugabe ArticlesInternational JusticeInternational Justice ArticlesInternational Justice NewsInternational Justice TortureInternational Justice Torture ArticlesSouth AfricaZimbabwe

South Africa ordered to probe Mugabe

Sky News A South African judge has ordered prosecutors to investigate whether Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s government committed human rights abuses. The ruling on Tuesday by Judge Hans Fabricius is…

Staff Writer9 May 2012

South African courts to hear Zimbabwe rights cases ArticlesInternational JusticeInternational Justice ArticlesInternational Justice NewsInternational Justice TortureInternational Justice Torture ArticlesSouth AfricaZimbabwe

South African courts to hear Zimbabwe rights cases

Reuters JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – A South African court ruled on Tuesday its legal system can be used to investigate and prosecute citizens of neighbouring Zimbabwe suspected of crimes against humanity.…

Staff Writer8 May 2012