Monrovia – A seven-man delegation headed by Honorable Justice Sylvain Ore, President of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, arrived in the country, Saturday, August 4 to Wednesday, August 8, 2018.
Other members of the delegation include, Honorable Justice Gerald Niyungeko – Judge of the Court and former President of the African Court, Mr. Chhatbar Sukhdev, – Senior Communications and Information Officer, Ms. Meredith D. Lwanga – Legal Officer, Mr. Simba Tamambele – Protocol Assistant, Mr. George Zziwa – Finance Officer, and Ms. Netsanet Haile – Secretary, Registrar’s Office.
According to a Foreign Ministry release, the purpose of the visit is to meet senior officials of the Government of Liberia as well as to encourage the ratification of the Protocol of the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights.
While in country, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights will on Sunday, August 5, have an interaction with the media, Monday, August 6, hold a meeting with Government officials and on Tuesday, August 7, conduct a half-day Sensitization and Awareness Seminar at the Boulevard Palace Hotel.
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights is a continental court established by African countries to ensure the protection of human and peoples’ rights on the continent. It complements and reinforces the functions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The Court was established by virtue of Article 1 of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, (the Protocol) which was adopted by Member States of the then Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in June 1998. The Protocol came into force on 25 January 2004.
The Court officially started its operations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in November 2006, and in August 2007, it moved to its seat in Arusha, the United Republic of Tanzania.
Thirty African States have so far ratified the Protocol, while Liberia is yet to ratify it even though the country signed the instrument in 1998.