By Francis Ameyibor
Tema, Nov. 12, GNA – Lady Justice Imani Daud Aboud, the President of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights, has said the non-compliance with its decisions was a hindrance to the protection of human rights on the continent.
“The African Court still faces its traditional challenges of low ratification, few deposits of the declaration, and non-compliance with our decisions,” she said at the opening of the 66th Ordinary Session of the African Court in Arusha, Tanzania.
Lady Justice Aboud, in a speech made available to the Ghana News Agency, said the current session was scheduled to deliver 11 decisions.
She stressed the need to utilise all the mechanisms at its disposal, and in accordance with the Protocol and Rules of Court, to ensure it delivered justice as effectively and expeditiously as possible.
She outlined matters to be considered during the session to include a roadmap on the complementarity between the African Court and the African Commission, consideration of a Draft of Revised Practice Directions, a Draft of Revised Internal Judicial Practice, and a Report on Compliance with decisions of the Court.
The session would also consider a report of the Court’s visit to the European Court of Human Rights, the International Criminal Court, and the International Court of Justice.
“It will examine a proposal for the African Court to join the European Court of Human Right’s Superior Courts Network as an observer,” she said, among other things.
She also reiterated concerns about the low ratification of the Protocol establishing the African Court.
“Only 33 member states have currently ratified the protocol establishing the African Court. Out of these, only eight states have accepted the competence of the court according to its Article 34 (6), according to which individuals and NGOs can directly file cases to the African Court.”
“In the absence of such a Declaration, the application must be submitted to the Banjul Commission first, which may then – after preliminary examination – decide to refer the case to the Court,” Justice Aboud said.
The eight nations who have ratified the Protocol and Deposited the Declaration are Ghana, Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Malawi, and Niger.
GNA