- Details
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 03, 2025
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (Centre for Human Rights) calls on the Zimbabwean government to respect and abide by its human rights obligations under the African Charter on Human and People's Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other international human rights instruments. Journalists should be allowed to do their work without interference. The recent reports on arrests and interference in the work of journalists will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression and access to information. The use of the judiciary to silence journalists, activists, and government critics, if left unchecked, will cement the culture of impunity and entrench arbitrary arrests and prosecution of people with dissenting voices.
- Details
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2025
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria condemns the recent violations of human rights, particularly with regard to the right to dignity, privacy and bodily integrity, that occurred at Zanzou Night Club in Pretoria. Reports have surfaced detailing incidents of violence, harassment, and abuse directed toward patrons, which are alarming and unacceptable in any society that values human rights and the rule of law.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria expresses profound concern over the escalating humanitarian crisis in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The recent surge in violence has resulted in significant loss of life, mass displacement, and grave human rights violations.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, welcomes the Wednesday 12 February 2025 public hearing by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, of the first inter-state case filed before it in Application 007/2023, Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Republic of Rwanda.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria is pleased to announce a groundbreaking judgment issued by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights today (5 February 2025), in Application No. 019 of 2018 Centre for Human Rights (CHR), Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) and Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) v. United Republic of Tanzania.
- Details
The South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) has issued an e-Note confirming that pharmacists may not refuse to dispense abortifacients (a drug that induces abortion) due to personal beliefs or moral reasons. This e-Note comes after 13 NGOs and legal centres addressed an open letter to the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) and the National Department of Health. The letter highlighted alarming reports of pharmacists refusing to dispense abortifacients despite patients having valid prescriptions. A vast majority of these pharmacists cited moral or religious grounds as the reason for their refusal to dispense. A staggering 40% of surveyed pharmacies were implicated in these refusals, undermining constitutional rights to reproductive autonomy and access to healthcare.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, joins the global community in commemorating Data Privacy Day, observed annually on January 28. This day serves as an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of data privacy, empower individuals and institutions, and promote proactive measures to protect personal information.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, calls for the immediate release of Ugandan lawyer Eron Kiiza, who was condemned to a nine month jail sentence summarily passed by Uganda’s military court martial.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, strongly condemns the double murder of Mozambique opposition (Podemos) political party’s lawyer (Elvino Dias) and representative (Paulo Guambe) on Friday 18 October 2024. The two were killed just hours before the start of planned protests challenging the results of the country’s elections held on 9 October 2024. There are concerns over allegations that these elections were altered unjustifiably to favour the ruling party, Frelimo, which is seeking to maintain its 49-year uninterrupted grip on power. Since the sad development on Friday, reports from the country reveal excessive use of force, including the police firing tear gas at independent presidential candidate Venânciao Mondlane and his supporters on 21 October 2024, who had gathered at the scene where Dias and Guambe were killed.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights welcomes the landmark judgment handed down by the Pretoria High Court on Monday, 30 September 2024 in the case of The Embrace Project NPC and Others v Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Case no.:04856/22, Pretoria High Court]. In terms of the judgment, Baqwa J ordered that Sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 read with section 1(2) of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Act 32 of 2007 are declared unconstitutional, invalid and inconsistent with the Constitution to the extent that these provisions do not criminalise sexual violence where the perpetrator wrongly and unreasonably believed that the complainant was consenting to the conduct in question, alternatively to the extent that the provisions permit a defence against a charge of sexual violence where there is no reasonable objective belief in consent. This significant judgment marks a pivotal moment in South Africa’s legal approach to prosecuting sexual violence cases.
- Details
In response to the emerging practice of pharmacists refusing to dispense abortifacients due to conscientious objection, the Centre for Human Rights, and 11 other public interest organisations, have addressed an open letter to the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) and the National Department of Health (NDOH). The open letter contains a legal opinion highlighting the significant, and adverse, impact of conscientious objection on access to safe and legal abortions.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria is deeply concerned about the ongoing internal armed conflict in Sudan which erupted on the 15th of April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The internal armed conflict began in the Sudan’s capital, Khartoum due to power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following the 2021 coup. It has since spread over to other regions of Sudan resulting in massive human rights violations and a serious humanitarian crisis. The conflict sits at the core of Sudan’s political legacy which is characterized by impunity for grave international crimes, coups d’etat and military rule impeding Sudanese people’s struggle for democratic governance.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, condemns the continued mistreatment of the Maasai indigenous people in the United Republic of Tanzania. Over the years, the illegal and forced evictions of this indigenous group from the Ngorongoro Area have resulted in over 80,000 people being deprived of access to settlement and grazing lands on which their pastoral livelihoods depend.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Solidarity Centre, International Lawyers Assisting Workers Network, Labour Research Service, and the Centre for Child Law have been admitted as joint amici curiae in the Constitutional Court confirmation proceedings of Van Wyk and Others v Minister of Employment of Labour (CCT 308/23) and Commission for Gender Equality and Another v Minister of Employment and Labour and Others (CCT 309/23). The amici have been given leave to file joint written submissions by the end of June 2024.
- Details
We, the undersigned organizations, write regarding the ongoing developments relating to the repeal of the Sections of the landmark Women’s (Amendment) Act of 2015, which criminalizes Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the Gambia. We are deeply concerned that these developments threaten the protection of the human rights and dignity of women and girls in the country, as well as in the region.
- Details
The World Press Freedom Day is commemorated annually on 3 May to reiterate State obligations to respect, protect and promote press freedom. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed this day in December 1993. Three decades later, the need to celebrate the democratic contributions of an independent press and reaffirm commitments to protecting the press against existing and evolving threats to their freedom remains crucial.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria welcomes the adoption of a resolution on ‘Combating discrimination, violence and harmful practices against intersex persons’ by the United Nations Human Rights Council during its 55th Session on 4 April 2024. Resolution #HRC55 is timely and important in so far as it recognises the discrimination, violence and harm that intersex persons are commonly subjected to because of harmful stereotypes, stigma, taboos, as well inaccurate information and misconceptions about persons with innate variations in sex characteristics.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights (CHR) and the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA) have been formally admitted as joint amici curiae (friends of the court) in the case of Embrace Project NPC and Another v Minister of Justice and Correctional Services and Others (Case no.: 48656/2022) (“Embrace Project case”).
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, welcomes the launch of the "Principles and Guidelines for the Use of Digital and Social Media in Elections in Africa" developed by the Association of African Electoral Authorities (AAEA). The Guidelines and Principles were officially launched by Deputy President of South Africa Paul Mashatile. This notable milestone underscores the significance of integrating digital advancements while steadfastly upholding democratic values.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria joins the voices of many human rights defenders and organisations in condemning the passing of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill by the Parliament of Ghana on 28 February 2024.
