Criminal Justice And Accountability In Africa Regional And National Developments

Historically Africa has suffered from numerous conflicts which are typically addressed through international criminal law mechanisms and courts, but the need for a broader approach is both evident and demanded. This book pulls together the debates originating from the conference “Criminal Justice and Accountability in Africa: National and Regional Developments” and highlights the different approaches and mechanisms used to date and what can be taken from them to advance justice and accountability across the African continent.

The Gambia opened a new chapter in her history after 22 years of authoritarian rule under former dictator Yahya Jammeh, heralding the promise of a 'New Gambia.' The country is at a critical juncture in its transition from Jammeh's autocratic rule to a fully-fledged democracy. The ambitious transitional processes include the Truth Reparations and Reconciliation Commission to create an official record of past abuses and crimes, the Constitutional Review Commission to draft a new Constitution, and the permanent National Human Rights Commission to build a human rights culture. The Gambia in transition: Towards a new constitutional order is a diverse collection of timely, rigorous, and insightful essays on human rights, constitutional reform, rule of law and democratic governance. It serves as an important reference for academics, policymakers, researchers, civil society organisations, human rights defenders, learners, and the public at large."

This book critically analyses diverse international criminal law (ICL) issues in light of recent developments in the international criminal justice system following the pursuit of accountability in Africa and around the world. It gives a scholarly analysis of issues pertaining to ICL and the pursuit of accountability in Africa by way of several topics including universal jurisdiction in Africa, Boko Haram in Nigeria, the legitimacy of the ICTR, the law of genocide committed against the Herero and Nama peoples, the African perspective on international co-operation in criminal matters, the Malabo Protocol, and whether an African Regional Court is a viable alternative to the ICC. Further discussed are other aspects of ICL, such as prosecuting sexual and gender-based crimes at the ICC, sexual and gender-based crimes perpetrated against men, guilty pleas within ICL and slavery within international criminal justice. With this, the book also refers to the jurisprudence of several international courts and tribunals including the ICTR, the ICTY, the SCSL, the ICC, the ECCC, the KSC, and the STL. This timely contributed volume updates international criminal law experts, practitioners, academics, human rights activists and other stakeholders on contemporary developments in ICL and provides recommendations that address accountability for mass atrocity crimes and ideas for strategic ICL litigation at the national, international, regional and sub-regional levels. It will prompt constructive exchanges on what can be improved in prosecuting mass atrocity crimes around the world. Takeh B.K. Sendze is an Advocate and Legal Officer with the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in Arusha, Tanzania. Adesola Adeboyejo is a Trial Lawyer at the International Criminal Court. Sir Howard Morrison QC is a former International Judge and an Associate Tenant at Doughty Street Chambers in London, United Kingdom. Sophia Ugwu is a Solicitor and Advocate who founded the Centre for African Justice, Peace and Human Rights in The Hague, The Netherlands.

This book critically examines the issues pertaining to the Rome Statute’s complementarity principle. The focus lies on the primacy of African states to prosecute alleged perpetrators of international crimes in their respective jurisdictions. The chapters explore states’ international and domestic obligations to hold perpetrators of international crimes to account before the national courts, and demonstrate the complexity of enforcing national accountability of alleged perpetrators of international crimes while also ensuring that post-conflict African states achieve national healing, reconciliation, and sustainable peace. The contributions reject impunity for international crimes whilst also considering these complexities. Emphasis further lies on the meaning of accountability in the context of the politics of selective international criminal justice for crimes committed before the establishment of the International Criminal Court.

This volume analyses the prospects and challenges of the African Court of Justice and Human and Peoples' Rights in context. The book is for all readers interested in African institutions and contemporary global challenges of peace, security, human rights, and international law. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

This book examines violence against women in Africa and criminal justice from the perspective of African scholars, practitioners and experts. As a global and long-standing issue, violence against women is gaining public visibility across the African continent with some states announcing a national crisis warranting immediate redress. At the global level, the elimination of all forms of violence against all women and girls forms a key part of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality. Split across two volumes, these books present a comprehensive analysis of the latest research and theories, principles and practices of criminal justice systems, criminal justice accountability mechanisms, and the key challenges women face in their quest for justice on the African continent. Volume I focusses on legislation and its impact, the limitations of criminal justice responses, and the cultural and social norms regarding access to justice. Volume II examines sexual violence and vulnerable women’s access to justice in Africa. They adopt a comparative approach that highlight gaps and good practices to provide a rich source of authoritative information for promoting an intra-African dialogue and cross-fertilization of ideas across the different criminal justice traditions in Africa. Both volumes seek to advance discussions on eliminating violence against women in Africa and speak to those interested in criminal justice, violence, gender studies and African legal studies.

Sudan has been undergoing profound changes characterized by an uncertain transition from conflict to post-conflict society and the separation of the country in the midst of ongoing human rights concerns. This book examines the nature, policy aspects and interrelationship of Sudanese criminal law and law reform in this context, situating developments in the broader debate of international human rights, rule of law and transitional justice. For the first time, Sudanese, national, regional and international experts and practitioners are brought together to share experiences, combining a range of legal and policy perspectives. The book provides valuable lessons on how relevant standards and experiences can be used to inform criminal law reform in Sudan. It also considers what broader lessons can be drawn for reform initiatives in other societies facing similar challenges. This includes the type of violations that need to be addressed in reforms as a prerequisite for enhanced human rights protection, challenges experienced in this regard, and the contribution of civil society in this process.