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

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

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

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

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

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

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).

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,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

(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

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

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,

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Nyahururu — The State Department for Correctional Services will start engaging petty offenders in tree planting exercises under Community Service Orders (CSO) in a bid

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the WCBU article ‘Is poverty criminalized in Peoria? A lawyer provides her take‘, Alexus McNally, a researcher from campaign partner, The International Legal Foundation,

South Africa is poised to become the first African country to decriminalise sex work following the publication of an amendment to the country’s criminal law

One of the key outcomes of the Stellenbosch Convening, was the adoption by consensus of the Cape Declaration by participants of the Campaign’s Annual Convening

Today, five justices of the Constitutional Court of Uganda (Frederick Egonda-Ntende, Elizabeth Musoke, Christopher Madrama Izama, Monica K Mugenyi, and Christopher Gashirabake JJCC) in a

South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Justice, Hon John Jeffery talks to SABC News in South Africa about criminal law and incarceration on the African continent,

On the 19 November 2022, francophone partners hosted a side-event, ‘Decriminalisation of poverty, status and activism: what role for the OIF?’, at the 18th Summit

Campaign partner APCOF submits a statement on behalf of the Campaign, to the EU-AU Consultation with Civil Society. The statement calls on the EU-AU dialogue

APCOF submitted the below statement on behalf of the Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status, in response to the report of the Special Rapporteur on

At the 73rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Louise Edwards, Director of Research and Programmes at APCOF gave the

Article from Malawi Nation, Wed Nov 18, 2021: Last week, the Malawian High Court declared the police’s indiscriminate sweeping exercises unlawful and in violation of

On 16 November 2022, the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group examined South Africa’s human rights record for the fourth time.