SALC: After a year of postponements and delays, the High Court of Botswana has set 15 May 2024 as the date to hear the constitutional challenge of Section 59(1) of...
Florida [USA] passes public camping ban as homelessness increases
Invisible People: Florida state lawmakers approved a bill that prohibits camping on public property at a time when homelessness has increased by more than 8% across the state since 2022....
Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting: decriminalise poverty and status
ICwS & ICJ: On 7 March 2024, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS) presented its joint project on the decriminalisation of poverty and status to the 2024 Commonwealth Law Ministers...
Poverty: African vagrancy laws continue to discriminate, despite court victories
At least 22 African countries – former colonies of the Belgians, British, Dutch, French and Portuguese – retain domestic laws that make ‘vagrancy’ illegal and equip the police with excessive...
The African Media Lawyers Network unveiled: Uniting legal and media in AU Member States
PALU: The Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) and the Congress of African Journalists (CAJ) in coordination with the UNESCO Liaison Office to AU and UNECA, have formally unveiled the framework...
AdvocAid pushes for the decriminalisation and declassification of petty offences in Sierra Leone
AdvocAid: On Thursday, February 15, 2024, AdvocAid Sierra Leone engaged members of the Legislative and Human rights committees in Parliament on the decriminalisation and declassification of petty offences otherwise known as...
Ghana: President Nana Akufo-Addo must not sign deeply discriminatory anti-LGBT law
Amnesty International: Responding to the passing of the “Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2024” by Ghana’s parliament on February 28, Amnesty International’s Ghana Country Director, Genevieve Partington, said:...
Ethiopia: Authorities must stop using state of emergency law to silence peaceful dissent
Amnesty International: Ethiopian authorities have used the state of emergency to silence peaceful dissent by arbitrarily detaining prominent politicians critical of the government and journalists, Amnesty International said today. On...
Wa Baile v. Switzerland
Mohamed Wa Baile claims to have been subjected to ethnic profiling in 2015, when he was stopped by police officers in a train station in Zurich and told to identify...
Beyond the Bars Conference 2023
Moving building towards a just Africa On 30th November to 2nd December 2023, campaign partner, Clean Start Africa organized The Beyond the Bars Conference. The Beyond the Bars conference is...
First ever UN resolution on Access to Justice for All adopted
The Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status welcomes the adoption of the first-ever resolution on access to justice for all by the United Nations General Assembly. This resolution supports the advancement of...
Strengthening Civic Space in Africa
https://www.youtube.com/live/RTMuLbUU6j4?si=hXY-UpuF4rBe9ik8&t=1294 SALC: Despite significant successes by activists, the global anti-rights movement has swung the pendulum in favour of the increased use of the law and criminal justice system to criminalize...
Nepal: District Court’s historic verdict a welcome step for justice for Dalit community
Amnesty International: Responding to the landmark verdict on 5 December on the killing of Nabaraj BK and five others by the West Rukum District Court in Nepal, convicting 26 individuals...
Law Center Statement on Today’s United Nations Report Decrying Ongoing Human Rights Abuses Against Unhoused People
National Homelessness Law Center: WASHINGTON, D.C. – (November 3, 2023) Today, the United Nations Human Rights Committee highlighted serious and ongoing patterns of human rights abuses — including those against people experiencing...
Russia: Judgment labelling “LGBT movement” as “extremist” will have catastrophic consequences
Amnesty International: The Supreme Court’s ruling recognizes as “extremist” an undefined “international public LGBT movement.” This phrase, used by the Russian Ministry of Justice, appears to target not an established, clearly defined...
U.N. Calls for U.S. to Abolish Laws Criminalizing Homelessness
Invisible People: The United Nations Human Rights Committee recently called on U.S. officials to abolish laws criminalizing homelessness in concluding observations from the body’s fifth periodic report on the country....
Study Finds Homelessness Is Caused by High Cost of Living, Not Substance Abuse
Invisible People: Another study confirmed what many housing advocates already know: Homelessness is primarily caused by a lack of affordable housing, not substance abuse. The study, which Washington State University conducted, analyzed...
Call for input: Criminalisation of women due to poverty and status
Penal Reform International (PRI) and Women Beyond Walls are collaborating to map out the key areas in need of reform related to the criminalisation of women globally due to their poverty and...
It’s time for Kenya to decriminalise petty offences
ICJ-Kenya: NAIROBI,Kenya, – The distinction between petty offences and all other offences is that they are categorized as misdemeanours, now enshrined in law. Calls to decriminalize petty offences, which primarily...
Revitilising the campaign against sedition and insult offences in Africa
SALC: Sedition laws are a serious threat to freedom of expression and democracy in Africa. These laws are often used to silence dissent and criminalize legitimate criticism of the government....
UN expert calls for scrapping of colonial laws and policies that marginalise LGBT persons
NEW YORK (27 October 2023) – The vast majority of countries that have laws and policies targeting individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity have inherited these practices from...
54th Session of the Human Rights Council: Drug Policy Highlights
Harm Reduction International: On 13 October 2023, the Human Rights Council (HRC) concluded its 54th session (11/09/2023 to 13/10/2023). This briefing highlight key debates, decisions and documents in which drug...
Keynote address at ICPA Annual Conference 2023 argues for decriminalisation of poverty and status
PRI: The International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) Annual Conference 2023 took place in Antwerp, Belgium, from 22-27 October 2023, hosted by the Belgian Prison Service. The theme of the conference...
Recommendations adopted at regional conference on justice-affected women in Africa
From 18-20 October 2023, 257 delegates representing 7 countries from across Africa convened for a regional conference: ‘Unlocking Barriers: Rights of Women in the Criminal Justice System in Africa’. The...
UN Special Rapporteurs express concerns about draft Italian law that could criminalise persons occupying housing or lands irregularly
The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing and the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty sent a communication to Italy on a draft law that could lead to the criminalization of individuals living...
The over-penalisation of poverty through fines and fees
PRI: In many countries around the world, criminal justice fines disproportionately affect the poorest and most marginalised in society, effectively creating tiered justice systems. In this blog, Jean Galbraith and Rheem Brooks...
Decriminalize petty offences and ensure gendered approaches during probation and aftercare services
ICJ-Kenya: KAMPALA, Uganda – The International Commission of Jurists, Kenyan Section has been at the forefront of National, Regional and Global campaigns calling for the decriminalization and reclassification of petty...
Judicial accountability and independence must be upheld
ICJ-Kenya: The Kenyan Chapter of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ-K) is championing for Judicial Independence and Accountability in the country, that will facilitate Judicial institutions to properly execute their...
What does the International Day of the Girl Child mean to girls who come in contact with the law? – Rebecca Kabejja
AdvocAid: As Sierra Leone together with the rest of the world celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child under the global theme – Our time is now—our rights, our future,...
Congress takes up Unhoused Bill of Rights as States debate similar Bills
Invisible People: U.S. Representative Cori Bush, D-MO, has reintroduced her landmark Unhoused Bill of Rights legislation as states across the country consider passing similar legislation. Bush’s bill would require the federal...
How criminalization is contributing to homeless deaths
Invisible People: Approximately 20 homeless people die each day, but probably not for the reasons you’d expect. Many of these deaths are gruesome, violent, and, perhaps even more tragically, encouraged. A...
Three ways to reduce the number of women in prison in the Americas
PRI: In July 2023, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights presented its first-ever report detailing the scale and situation of women deprived of liberty in the Americas. In this blog...
Analysing the case of Digashu and Others v Government of the Republic of Namibia, Seiler-Lilles v Government of the Republic of Namibia
SALC: On 16 May 2023, The Supreme Court of Namibia ruled that Namibia’s immigration laws must recognise same-sex marriages validly concluded outside Namibia, setting aside the High Court decision of...
U.S. Fails to Meet International Human Right to Housing Standards
According to a new report from the National Homelessness Law Center and the University of Miami Law School Human Rights Clinic, the U.S. is failing to meet several internationally accepted standards for...
Mental Health, Patriarchy and the Criminalisation of Attempted Suicide
SALC: According to the WHO, for every suicide in Africa, there are approximately 20 attempts. While some countries have slowly moved towards repealing the criminal offence of attempted suicide, recognising...
Eswatini monarchy accused of silencing opponents
https://youtu.be/467plXwu2bw?si=BZwGhbUhJkIhN2xp Al Jazeera: Africa's last absolute monarchy is facing criticism over its human rights record. Earlier this year, a prominent lawyer was killed in Eswatini - some say by the...
Sri Lanka: Proposed Online Safety Bill would be an assault on freedom of expression, opinion, and information
The ICJ is concerned that the newly proposed Online Safety legislation, if adopted in its present form, would serve to crush free expression and further contract an already shrinking civic...
SERI launches a new publication reflecting on protest in South Africa
SERI: Protest has always been an important driver of social change in South Africa, before and since democracy. It has played a crucial role in securing and realising rights, and...
134 NGOs sign collective statement urging the international community to act on UN human rights chief’s ground-breaking call for systemic drug policy reform
IDPC: In a historical report released today, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights denounced the failure of punitive drug policies and the global ‘war on drugs’, and called for a new...
Iran’s compulsory veiling bill is a despicable assault on rights of women and girls
Amnesty International: Reacting to the news that Iran’s parliament has passed a new bill that would impose further draconian penalties severely violating women’s and girls’ rights as well as increasing prison...
ACJR submission on the South African Judicial Matters Amendment Bill [B7-2023]
In May 2023, Africa Criminal Justice Reform made a written and oral submission to parliament regarding the The Judicial Matters Amendment Bill [B7-2023] in South Africa. The Bill provides the...
Dullah Omar Institute Submission to Special Rapporteurs Call for Input
In September 2023, the Dullah Omar Institute made a submission in response to the call from the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing and the Special Rapporteur...
A society behind bars: the effects of Algeria’s widespread crackdown on human rights
Amnesty International: The Algerian authorities are leading a relentless crackdown on citizens for expressing any form of dissent. Be it participants in protest marches, journalists working for independent media, or...
Audit Reveals the Dirty Truth About Homeless Encampment Cleanups
Invisible People: How Sweeps Rarely Lead to Permanent Housing Situations for Homeless Encampment Residents. Homeless encampment “cleanups” have dirt on their name for good reason. Alternatively referred to as “sweeps” or...
Justice Collective submits testimony to UN on the mass fining of people from poor, racialized communities across Europe
Along with partners (RE)Claim/MCDS (France), Hungarian Helsinki Committee (Hungary), Justice Collective urges the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing and the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and...
Interactive map reveals state-sanctioned violence against protesters worldwide
Amnesty International: Authorities across the world are increasingly resorting to unlawful use of force and repressive legislation to crush protests, Amnesty International said today, as it launched an interactive digital...
Mexico: Land, territory and environmental defenders are being criminalized for exercising their right to protest
Amnesty International: The disproportionate use of criminal law is one of the main threats facing the right to protest peacefully in defense of land, territory and environment in Mexico, Amnesty...
Quash conviction and release rights defenders mobilised against torture
72 organisations, including FIACAT, are calling for the conviction to be quashed and for the release of two Bangladeshi human rights defenders who are about to be imprisoned. Leaders of...
Sub-national Governance, Law Enforcement and Oversight in Five African Countries: Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia
On 31 August 2023, ACJR hosted a webinar on Sub-national governance, law enforcement and oversight in Five African countries. The webinar highlighted key issues relating to sub-national law enforcement in Ghana, Kenya,...
Nigeria: Activists advocate decriminalisation of minor offences to decongest prisons
Civil society group, Prisons Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), has urged federal and state legislatures to hasten the amendment of criminal laws and decriminalisation and declassification of minor and petty...