Cairo, 17^th of November 2008
 

Press Release

The Election of the ACIJLP as the focal point of Coalition for an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights  in North Africa

The meeting of the General Assembly of the African Coalition for an African Court on Human and People’s Rights, which took place in Abuja - Nigeria on Tuesday, November 11, 2008, resulted in the election of both the Executive Committee and the focal points of the coalition. The Arab Center for Independence of the judiciary and the legal profession was elected as a focal point for the Coalition in northern Africa; the meeting also resulted in the election of the other focal points of the Coalition, which are:

·        Central Africa focal point: 

Citizens Governance Initiatives (CGI), Cameroun

·        East Africa focal point:  

Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI), Uganda  

·        North Africa focal point: 

Arab Centre for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP), Egypt  

·        South Africa focal point:  

Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, Zimbabwe

·        West Africa focal point: 

L'Organisation Nationale Des Droits de l'Homme du Senegal (ONDH), Senegal

·        Lusophone focal point:  

Associação Justiça, Paz e Democracia (AJPD), Angola

And the National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI)

Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa, The Gambia

Furthermore, nine legal institutions in Africa were elected as members in the Executive Committee, which are:

1.             Alliances for Africa (AfA)

2.            Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC)

3.            Centre des Droits de L'Homme et du Développement (CDHD)

4.            Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)

5.            Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense de Droits de L'Homme (RADDHO)

6.            East African Law Society (EALS)

7.            Tanganyika Law Society

8.            International Commission of Jurists - Kenya (ICJ-Kenya)

9.            Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)

Worth mentioning that the Coalition for an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, a network of non-governmental organizations and independent national human rights institutions, was formed during the first conference for the promotion of the protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Niamey, Niger in May 2003.

It should be noted that the protocol establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights and adopted in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on June 9, 1998 has been ratified by 24 African countries only out of 49 signatory State, which entered into force in January 25, 2004.

From the North African countries, Algeria ratified on the Protocol on April 22^nd 2003, Libya on November 19^th 2003 and Mauritania on May 19^th 2005. Recently Tunis ratified on 21^st August 2007. Until now Egypt did not ratify, which signed the protocol on February 17^th 1999.

In this context, ACIJLP appeals to the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt to ratify the protocol establishing the African Court on Human Rights as soon as possible in accordance with its commitment to the promotion, the support and the protection of human rights in the African continent.

ACIJLP calls upon the Egyptian government to ratify the protocol quickly for what is known on Egypt's leading role within the African States; as it is the first to join the international and regional conventions in order to enhance African system of human rights and in support of the safeguards necessary to protect them.

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