ISHR
Concerned about the increasing human rights violations cases that remain unresolved, the NGO Forum, held ahead of the 85th ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, looked at ways to address impunity for human rights violations in Africa.
Impunity is a poison that nourishes war, destroys trust, and suffocates peace.Elisha Mutabunga, Researcher and Human Rights Defender in the DRC and Lobbying and Advocacy Officer at SOS IJM
Human rights defenders (HRDs) are victims of impunity resulting from the shrinking of civic space and attacks that undermine their liberty and security. These risks increase further in conflict zones. Acknowledging this, the panellists of the fifth panel of the NGO Forum discussed the need to end impunity on the continent.
Taking the example of countries in conflict zones, of which the Democratic Republic of Congo, the panel looked at the ways to break the cycle of impunity, convinced that ending impunity will respectively contribute to justice, peace, good governance, and the rule of law.
The panel insisted on the key role of documentation and provision of accurate information in the process of reparation and ending impunity. The panel further proposed to consider transitional justice mechanisms, including the creation of an African reparation fund, which looks beyond compensation to cover the injustice of the past, the violation of the present, and prevent repetition in the future.
Sharing the documentation of the situation of human rights on the continent, the NGO Forum of the African Commission gave the opportunity to sub-regional focal points to provide a brief description of the situation of human rights defenders in Africa.
The UN General Assembly’s principal human rights committee—the Third Committee—has kicked off its deliberations. This year’s session will run for 7 weeks from 3 October to 21 November 2025. The Committee will be chaired by the Permanent Representative of Thailand. We present some key issues on the agenda below.
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