The African human rights system

Описание: In this second clip on regional human rights protection in Africa, I discuss the institutional structure of the system as well as the respective roles of the African Commission and the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights. Lastly, I address some of the challenges, notably related to political will, that have plagued the framework.

0:00 Overview of the system
2:15 The African Commission
3:44 The African Court
5:02 Shortcomings of the system
5:57 "Clawback" clauses
7:18 Inactivity in the face of violations

Reading:
• Christof Heyns and Magnus Killander, "Africa", chapter 23 in Daniel Moeckli et al., International Human Rights Law (3rd ed., Oxford University Press, 2017)

Reading question:
• Which body resembles the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights more, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights or the UN Human Rights Committee? Explain your answer.
• The textbook chapter concludes by saying that the “political will” of governments is a main challenge to the African human rights system (p. 480). Illustrate this point in reference to specific examples.

Recommended podcast:
• "The Human Rights Movement: A Truly Universal System? – Prof Makau Mutua", Africa Rights Talk, 1 April 2019 [45:24]


This video series was created for a third-year undergraduate course in international human rights law at University College Roosevelt in the Netherlands.