Updates Archives

Constitutional petition filed in Mozambique against privileged prison conditions for the rich
Maputo, 24 May 2023 – Today, 2000 Mozambican citizens, under the leadership of lawyer and human rights activist, Maria Alice Mabota, filed a petition before the Constitutional

Tunisia: Ghannouchi sentencing marks aggressive crackdown on Saied opposition
Amnesty International: A Tunisian court’s decision to sentence opposition figure Rached Ghannouchi to prison under Tunisia’s anti-terrorism law highlights an intensifying campaign against the country’s

Court decision is a blow to freedom of expression and independence of lawyers
Amnesty International: The Beirut Court of Appeals’ decision to dismiss the petition by lawyers seeking the annulment of apparently unconstitutional amendments to lawyers’ code of

APCOF delivers statement at ACHPR 75th Session
APCOF delivered a statement on behalf of the Campaign during the 75th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, held in Banjul and online.

Malawi High Court declares unconstitutional the banning of dreadlocks in government schools
SALC: On 8 May 2023, the High Court of Malawi delivered a judgment declaring that the unwritten or written policy of the Government requiring all

Being homeless is not a crime — conflating criminality and homelessness is a dangerous stereotype
Ndifuna Ukwazi: Treating the life-sustaining activities of street-based people as a criminal nuisance, in the manner that the City of Cape Town’s by-laws do, will

National Homelessness Law Center responds to murder of Jordan Neely
(May 5, 2023, Washington, DC) – The National Homelessness Law Center is outraged over the strangulation and murder of Jordan Neely Monday, May 1, 2023. The Law

LGBTQ rights and inclusion amid Botswana’s constitutional review process
SALC: The Botswana courts are among the very few in Southern Africa that has set a trajectory in realizing and protecting LGBTIQ+ rights. In 2016,

False News or Free Speech: Protecting Freedom of Expression In Botswana
SALC: Publishing false news or alarming/misleading information, defined differently in different jurisdictions, has a long and infamous history. From ancient Rome to the present day,

Attacks on journalists on the rise as authorities seek to suppress press freedom
Amnesty International: Authorities across East and Southern Africa escalated their attacks against journalists and press freedom across the region to suppress reporting of corruption and

Call for inputs: Report on colonialism and sexual orientation and gender identity
The Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (IE SOGI), Mr. Victor Madrigal-Borloz, will dedicate his report

Extrajudicial Killings in Nigeria, the unending circle
Hope Behind Bars: On February 17, 2023, viral social media allegations of extra-judicial killings led to the arrest of three police officers in Anambra state. CSP Patrick

Why are we still sending people to jail for being Poor? It’s time to truly abolish debtors’ prisons
FFJC: Imagine spending a week in jail for being unable to pay a bill. That’s what happened to Roxana Beck. After she pleaded guilty to

PALU 2023 Annual Conference announced
The Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), the premier continental forum for lawyers and lawyers’ associations, which membership has grown exponentially and now comprises of over

CleanStart Founder awarded Elevate Prize 2023
CleanStart: Congratualations to Teresa Njoroge, the CEO & Founder of the CleanStart, for being awarded the coveted Elevate Prize. Through Clean Start, her innovative approach

APCOF submits amicus in support of challenge to Cape Town by-laws criminalising homelessness
APCOF has been admitted as amicus curiae in Gelderbloem and Others v City of Cape Town (WCHC 5708/21 and EC06/2021), which will be heard in

Report on Advocacy visit to Hisbah, Kano, Nigeria to decriminalize petty offences
Lawyers Alert with the support of the Open Society Initiative of West Africa (OSIWA) is implementing a project that seeks to deepen efforts at decriminalization

RTI key stakeholders validate CHRI’s Right To Information training manual for judges
From CHRI: Some selected judges and members of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have endorsed a Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) Right To Information (RTI) training

Freedom of Expression cannot be Suppressed, Urges Sierra Leone’s Civil Society
AdvocAid, L.A.W.Y.E.R.S., I.LR.A.J., A Girl At A Time, Amnesty International, and Girlz Empowered are concerned about the recent arrest of Zainab Sheriff who was arrested and detained for a video she posted online

Malaysia’s sedition irony
One of the Sultan of Malaysia’s purchased a painting depicting parliamentarians as apes and frogs, a commentary on floor crossing, with no consequence (top image).

Harm reduction, racial justice, Indigenous Peoples rights: UN Human Rights Council breaks new ground on drug policy
IDPC: History was made this week at the UN. The Human Rights Council in Geneva adopted the most ambitious and progressive resolution on drug policy to date,

Food, Housing, and Racial Justice Symposium
The Human Rights Clinic and Program at the University of Miami School of Law, in collaboration with the Human Rights Society, the Office of Intellectual

Morocco: Journalist faces three years in jail for Facebook post
From Amnesty International: Responding to the opening today of the trial of journalist Hanane Bakour who faces up to three years in prison and a

Namibia | Same-sex couples find community in their legal challenge
From SALC: Daniel Digashu, one-half of one of the two couples fighting for the right to be recognised by the Namibian state, writes about how they found

Nigerian Mental Health CSOs call for the decriminalisation of suicide
No fewer than 41 health Civil Society Organisations have called on the Nigerian Federal Government to end the criminalisation of suicide in the country. The

Malaysia seeks to decriminalize suicide attempts
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia is seeking to decriminalize suicide attempts, its law minister said on Tuesday, the latest in a recent slew of legal reforms

USA: DC Council votes unanimously to decriminalize street vending
The measure passed Tuesday April 4, 2023, also creates vending zones, waives unpaid civil citations and streamlines the licensing process. It requires the mayor’s signature

Support. Don’t Punish Initiatives programme – Call for expressions of interest
Through this call, the Support. Don’t Punish campaign aims to identify and support local partners (up to 7) with funding of between USD 4,000 – 5,000 for

How harsh drug laws undermine health and human rights in Asia Pacific
From IDPC: Twenty-one countries in the [Asia Pacific] region operate either state-run compulsory detention and rehabilitation facilities for people who use drugs or similar facilities.

USA: New Mexico signs groundbreaking Fee Elimination Bill into Law
From Fines & Fees Justice Center: SANTA FE, NM – Last night, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed HB 139, which eliminates the post-adjudication and bench warrant

Draft French law increasing penalties for ‘squatting’ denounced by UN Special Rapporteurs
(30 March 2023) The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to

Will predictive systems profile you as a criminal?
Fair Trials: Police forces and criminal justice authorities across Europe are using data, algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) to ‘predict’ if certain people are at

“Call them crazy”: Criminalisation of activists undermines rule of law in the EU
From Fair Trials: The Dutch police continue to disregard the rule of law to criminalise the pacifist activist Frank van der Linde. In recent years,

Is Kenya going down a slippery slope?
From ICJ-K: On 27 March 2023, the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJKenya) continued to monitor and document the activities that unfolded

Protect Sex Worker’s Rights
SALC, CHREAA and FSWA call upon the Malawi Police Services and Government to consider police actions from the point of view of those most affected

Uganda: Reject anti-LGBTI law that criminalizes same-sex sexual activity
From Amnesty International: During the debate in the Parliament, MPs passed to impose life imprisonment punishment for same sex conduct, and 10 years for attempted

Campaign members denounce new law in Guinea-Bissau criminalising children begging
From ACJR & Reformar: It was reported from Guinea Bissau on 20 March 2023 that a new law will prohibit Islamic leaders using children for begging.

Webinar: Sub-National Government and the Criminalisation of Poverty & Status: Defining the problem
Partners ACJR, Lawyers Alert, CHREAA, LHR and ICJ-K hereby cordially invite you to the first of a series of webinars on sub-national governance and the

African Human Rights Yearbook Vol 6 released
The Pretoria University Law Press releases landmark publication of African Union Human Rights Bodies: African Human Rights Yearbook and launches call for contributions to 2023

Third-party intervention filed at the Community Court of Justice of ECOWAS
Amnesty International: On 22 March 2023, Amnesty International submitted a third-party intervention to the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African

Defending Waste Pickers’ Livelihoods: Lessons from Litigation in Latin America
From WIEGO: Waste pickers have won several legal actions in Latin America over the past two decades. This edition of Law & Informality Insights – Defending

Challenging Criminal Code on Alarming Publications in Botswana
Partner Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) supports Tshepo Junior Sethibe through Obonye Attorneys, represented by Dr Jonas Obonye, who are challenging Section 59(1) of the Botswana Penal

Kenyan Prisons Target 10 Million Trees in Decongestion Drive to See Petty Offenders Freed
Nyahururu — The State Department for Correctional Services will start engaging petty offenders in tree planting exercises under Community Service Orders (CSO) in a bid

Applications open for Waging Justice for Women Fellowships
From Clooney’s Foundation for Justice: “For too long, the law has served as a tool of oppression against women and girls, who continue to face

New Mexico, US approves groundbreaking bill to end costly court fees in legal system
From partner Fines & Fees Justice Center: With clear bipartisan support, the New Mexico Senate approved legislation to eliminate the post-adjudication and bench warrant fees

Sudden homelessness is Years in the Making
Partner Invisible People gives an overview of how homelessness is years in the making: Homelessness is an event that can happen suddenly. One minute a

Promoting Health and Rights: Prioritising People in Detention in the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond
Upcoming online webinar on “Promoting Health and Rights: Prioritising People in Detention in the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond” will be held Wednesday 8 March 2023

The nature and extent of institutionalisation of persons with disabilities in Africa: the Kenyan experience.
CAPMHK: Globally several attempts to deinstitutionalize mental health and promote self-autonomy, independent and communal living for persons with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities have happened. CAPMHK

“We must decriminalise poverty to achieve equal access to justice”
Last week the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London held a seminar at Marlborough House on the Decriminalisation of Poverty

Busting eight myths about sex work ahead of deadline for public comments on decriminalisation bill in South Africa
Sonke Gender Justice: As we approach the deadline to comment on the draft Criminal Law (Sexual Offences And Related Matters) Amendment Bill, which will see the