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Human Rights Day in South Africa is historically linked with 21 March 1960, and the events of Sharpeville. On that day 69 people died and 180 were wounded when police fired on a peaceful crowd that had gathered in protest against the Pass laws. This day marked an affirmation by ordinary people, rising in unison to proclaim their rights. It became an iconic date in South Africa's history that today we commemorate as Human Rights Day as a reminder of our rights and the cost paid for our treasured human rights. On 21 March 2016, Human Rights Day is celebrated with a special focus on the eradication of racism in South Africa. In this video, students on the LLM/MPhil (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa) at the Centre for Human Rights, speak out against racism and calls for an end to racist prejudice . #SayNoToRacism #HumanRightsDay 

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Here is a film placing the spotlight on the plight of migrants and demanding for the protection of their rights

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On 18 November 2005, the Southern African Development Community Tribunal (SADC Tribunal) was inaugurated. It was established to hear disputes of not only Southern African states but also of their citizens. This was a momentous occasion given that a regional court with the power to hear human rights cases is a critical mechanism in the pathway to justice after exhaustion of local remedies. However, instead of celebrating the 11th anniversary of this progressive mechanism, we mourn its demise.

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This video is part of #CelebratingWomenWithAlbinism a campaign by the Disability Rights Unit. The campaign aims to celebrate the achievements and to highlight the stories and experiences of women with albinism.
The campaign was launched in 2018 on International Albinism Awareness Day on 13 June.


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Gabriel Shumba is an alumnus of the Centre for Human Rights, who was tortured by agents of the Zimbabwean government for supporting the opposition in that country. In 2013, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Commission) found the government of Zimbabwe in violation of the African Charter and directed the government to carry out an investigation of the individuals responsible for the torture and recommended that they pay adequate compensation to Gabriel Shumba. Up until now, the recommendations of the African Commission were received with impunity and not one single recommendation has been implemented. Students on the Master’s degree in Human Rights and Democratisation programme’s Human Rights Implementation Clinic have therefore embarked on an advocacy campaign:

  1. Calling on the government of Zimbabwe to implement the decision of the African Commission and •
  2. Requesting that the African Commission itself takes necessary steps that will ensure its decisions are respected and implemented.

This video forms part of other efforts by the Centre’s Human Rights Implementation Unit aimed at applying pressure on African governments to comply with the decisions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

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