The African human rights system

In this second clip on regional human rights protection in Africa, I discuss the institutional structure of the system as well as the respective roles of the African Commission and the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights. Lastly, I address some of the challenges, notably related to political will, that have plagued the framework. 0:00 Overview of the system 2:15 The African Commission 3:44 The African Court 5:02 Shortcomings of the system 5:57 "Clawback" clauses 7:18 Inactivity in the face of violations Reading: • Christof Heyns and Magnus Killander, "Africa", chapter 23 in Daniel Moeckli et al., International Human Rights Law (3rd ed., Oxford University Press, 2017) Reading question: • Which body resembles the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights more, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights or the UN Human Rights Committee? Explain your answer. • The textbook chapter concludes by saying that the “political will” of governments is a main challenge to the African human rights system (p. 480). Illustrate this point in reference to specific examples. Recommended podcast: • "The Human Rights Movement: A Truly Universal System? – Prof Makau Mutua", Africa Rights Talk, 1 April 2019 [45:24] This video series was created for a third-year undergraduate course in international human rights law at University College Roosevelt in the Netherlands.