The Centre for Human Rights hosts an expert consultation and a public seminar on AI and human rights
- Details
On 15 July 2025, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, together with the Accelerator Fellowship Programme of the Institute for Ethics in AI (University of Oxford) and the African Observatory for Responsible AI under the Global Center on AI Governance, hosted an expert consultation and public seminar on the theme ‘Do we need a new AI Bill of human rights?’ The event took place at the SRC Chambers at the UP Conference Centre, Hatfield Campus, University of Pretoria, in Pretoria, South Africa. It began with welcoming remarks from representatives of the three convening institutions, who highlighted the importance of the dialogue, welcomed participants, and expressed appreciation for their presence and engagement.
- Details
11 July 2025
On the occasion of African Anti-Corruption Day 2025, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, joins the continent in reaffirming its commitment to promoting transparency, accountability, and human dignity in the fight against corruption. This year’s theme: ‘Promoting Human Dignity in the Fight Against Corruption’, rightly situates anti-corruption as a human rights imperative. Corruption is a legal and economic issue, which is also a direct assault on the dignity, rights, and welfare of African people. It undermines public trust, weakens the rule of law, and deprives communities of essential services, including access to justice, health care, education, water, and housing. Human dignity is enshrined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Constitutive Act of the African Union, and other international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
- Details
2 July 2025
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, strongly condemns the detention of Faith Zaba, editor of the Zimbabwe Independent, by Zimbabwean authorities over an article allegedly "undermining the authority" of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Ms Zaba was detained by Zimbabwean police on 1 July 2025, in connection with Muckracker, a satirical column published in the Zimbabwe Independent. The piece mocked Zimbabwe’s recent assumption of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) chairmanship, describing the regional bloc as a “trade union of dictators.” The Zimbabwe Independent is a weekly publication known for its independent journalism and critical reporting.
- Details
20 June 2025
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), at the end of 2024 an estimated 123,2 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide. This sobering figure reflects the devastating impacts of conflict, persecution, environmental disasters, and widespread human rights violations.
Nowhere is this crisis more evident than in Africa.
- Details
On this International Day for Countering Hate Speech, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, joins the global community in amplifying the call for urgent and coordinated action to confront the rise of hate speech, especially as it proliferates through artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and digital platforms. While the phenomenon of hate speech is not new, its reach and consequences have grown dramatically in the digital era.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (Centre), expresses its disappointment that the visit by Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, on 24 April 2025 to South Africa had to be cut short due to an attack on the Ukrainian capital city killing at least 9 nine civilians.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, strongly condemns the targeted attacks on civilians in IDP camps in North Darfur State, Sudan, by RSF forces, which have resulted in over 400 deaths and the displacement of thousands in the past three days. Beginning Thursday with coordinated ground and aerial assaults that continued unabated through Saturday, these operations have systematically destroyed homes, markets, and critical healthcare infrastructure in camps that were established as safe havens.
- Details
Date: 15 April 2025
Issued by: Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria expresses deep concern over the escalating threats to democracy, political participation, and electoral integrity in Tanzania. The arrest of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, alongside the disqualification of the CHADEMA party from the 2025 general elections signals a disturbing regression in political freedoms and democratic governance.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (the Centre), welcomes the adoption of the Resolution on Working Towards the Assessment of Public Interest Content in this Digital Era and Developing Guidelines to Ensure a Public Interest Element for All Platforms Operating in Africa – ACHPR/Res.631 (LXXXII) 2025 and the Resolution on Developing Guidelines to Assist States Monitor Technology Companies in Respect of Their Duty to Maintain Information Integrity Through Independent Fact-Checking – ACHPR/Res.630 (LXXXII) 2025 by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) during its 82nd Ordinary Session.
- Details
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria is deeply concerned about the recent decision of the Government of the Republic of Tunisia to withdraw its declaration made under article 34(6) of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights allowing individuals and NGOs to take cases directly to the African Court.
- 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.
