World Cup football- more than just a beautiful game

“My family was taken inside.There are 7 people in the family. They [government soldiers] closed the door, then they started putting the fire. They started burning the house.” These are the words of John Janoub, a displaced South Sudanese man whose family was burnt alive in an attack allegedly led by government soldiers in 2016. […]

This article first appeared on Blog of the Gronigen Journal of International law on 25 June 2018. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s continued visits to Rome Statute Member States, including but not limited to Chad, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa and most recently Jordan, have caused much legal consternation and uproar from both […]

**By Navi Pillay and Angela Mudukuti This article first appeared in the Daily Maverick on 19 June 2018 The introduction of the International Crimes Bill before the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services, two weeks ago, signals steadfast resolve to eventually withdraw from the Rome Statute. Impetus and momentum for withdrawal was generated by […]

Last week the High Court handed down an important judgment that will have an effect on justice for apartheid era crimes in South Africa. After seeking closure for over 30 years, Nokuthula Simelane’s family is finally one step closer to what has seemed elusive and unattainable for so long- justice for their slain anti-apartheid heroin. […]

Earlier this month a Sudanese court sentenced 19 year old, Noura Hussein, to death. Her crime – killing a man in self-defence. This man, was the man she was forced to marry when she was 16, he was also the man who had reportedly raped her with the help of his cousins and brother. At […]

The film, Rafiki, set to feature at the Cannes Film Festival this week, is already making waves, not only because it is the first Kenyan film to make it to the prestigious and exclusive Cannes Film Festival, but also because it has been banned in Kenya. Rafiki- meaning “friend” in Kiswahili, features a love story […]

24 April marked the 25th anniversary of Oliver Reginald Kaizana Tambo’s death. Tambo was anti-apartheid activist, politician and revolutionary who served at the helm of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1967 to 1991. 25 years since his death, his contribution to a free democratic South Africa founded on the principle of equality remains invaluable. […]

The assassination of prominent individuals agitating for positive change has left an indelible mark on the struggle for equality and human rights. As fate would have it, a few of the most influential and iconic advocates for human rights were murdered in the month of April- Chris Hani, Martin Luther King Jr and Abraham Lincoln […]

Last week on 21 March South Africans celebrated Human Rights Day. On this day the Sharpeville Massacre occurred in 1960 and it remains an integral part of South Africa’s history and an important moment to reflect on police brutality, excessive use of force and the first court appearance of police allegedly responsible for the deaths […]

On 11 March the International Criminal Court judges elected, by majority vote, Nigerian Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji as president for a three-year term. He is the first African to hold the position. Could his election assuage African leaders who remain convinced that the ICC is an institution led by westerners’ hell bent on targeting Africans leaders? […]