© African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
On 23 October, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights gave an update on its cooperation between its institution and national human rights institutions as well as with non-governmental organisations.
During the panel, Commissioner Mudford Zachariah Mwandenga recalled that article 45 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights mandates the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Commission) to ‘cooperate with other African and international institutions concerned with the promotion and protection of human and peoples’ rights’, namely national human rights institutions (NHRIs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Resolution 361 establishes the relationship of the African Commission with NGOs while resolution 370 governs its relationship with NHRIs. These resolutions both recognise the important role played by these stakeholders in supporting the Commission’s mandate of promoting and protecting human and peoples’ rights in Africa. They also emphasise responsibilities such as submitting periodic activity reports every two years.
Since its last public ordinary session, the African Commission received the activity report of the Tanzania Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance, bringing to 3 the number of NHRIs having submitted activity reports in 2023 with 29 owing one report or more. It also granted observer status to 8 NGOs bringing to 552 the number of NGOs having been granted Observer Status with the Commission and received 7 activity reports with 398 out of the 552 having submitted at least one report.
‘The Commission would like to commend both NGOs and national human rights institutions for fulfilling the requirement of submitting activity reports, and takes this opportunity to call on all those which enjoy the benefits of observer and affiliate status, to consistently submit activity reports to the Commission every two years, in line with the provisions of resolutions 361 and 370,’ concluded Commissioner Mwandenga.
Local authorities in Geneva have announced their intention to place a permanent public monument paying tribute to persecuted human rights defenders, including the late Chinese human rights defender Cao Shunli. The move follows a civil society petition to have a bust made in honour of Cao placed in a prominent location in the city.
A newly-released confidential letter by a UN Special Rapporteur documents the disbarment of human rights lawyers in China and the tightening ideological control over lawyers and law firms. The UN expert denounces disappearances, closed-door trials, harassment of relatives, travel bans, and other abuses targeting human rights lawyers.
On Tuesday 16 April 2024, ISHR delivered to both Geneva’s Administrative Council and its legislative counterpart, the Municipal Council, physical copies of the more than 1000 signatures collected in support of a memorial honouring Chinese human rights defender Cao Shunli.
