All news items
9 March 2012
In a victory both moral and diplomatic, South Africa took the lead this week during the first debate at the United Nations on the rights of sexual minorities. The country positioned itself firmly as a global leader in the protection of the rights of gay, lesbian and transgender people and played a key role in preventing a walkout of other African states. South Africa was supported by...
8 March 2012
The Protection of State Information Bill: Is the ‘liberator’ crossing the floor?
By Lesirela Letsebe
The democratic South African government has aroused a huge outcry by introducing the Protection of State Information Bill (B6 of 2010), which some media have likened to the ‘draconian’ apartheid era Internal Security Act 74 of 1982 with its stated object: ‘To provide...
6 March 2012
The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold the first-ever formal inter-governmental debate on violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people on 7 March in Geneva between 12:00 and 15:00 (Geneva time). It will be webcast live at www.un.org/webcast.
The debate, sponsored by South Africa and Brazil, will feature panelists from Brazil,...
23 February 2012
Is SA revisiting its commitment against the death penalty? The government’s appeal to the Constitutional Court tomorrow suggest so.
KAAJAL RAMJATHAN-KEOGH and DAVID COTE
Published: 2012/02/22 07:52:28 AM
IS SA revisiting its commitment against the death penalty? The...
21 February 2012
Judge Jeremy Pickering of the Eastern Cape High Court (Port Elizabeth) has ruled that at least four refugees can continue with their unlawful arrest and detention cases against the Home Affairs Department without having to provide security for legal costs, says a report in The Herald. Pickering said that public interest considerations dictate they not be denied access to the justice system. He...
15 February 2012
The inaugural meeting of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (the Committee) saw the induction of the Committee’s ten new members, and launched discussion on the body’s programme of work and rules of procedure. The session took place in Geneva from 8 to 11 November 2011, when meetings were held with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), State Parties,1 and with the Human Rights...
15 February 2012
Johannesburg - The Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) and the Zimbabwean Exiles Forum (ZEF) have launched a landmark case in the North Gauteng High Court to compel South Africa to abide by its legal obligations to investigate and prosecute high level Zimbabwean officials accused of crimes against humanity.
SALC and ZEF are asking the...
14 February 2012
MUSINA, 14 February 2012 (IRIN) - Four months ago, Clemence Uzizo, 21, a welder living in Soweto, Johannesburg's most populous suburb, made the mistake of venturing out to a local shop without his asylum-seeker permit. Neither the police who arrested him, nor the immigration officials who detained him, verified Uzizo's legal status before deporting him to Zimbabwe, the country of his birth....
6 February 2012
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) will today challenge the new rules pertaining to judicial reviews in terms of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, says a report in The Mercury. The application in the North Gauteng High Court has been brought against the Rules Board for Courts of Law, who made the new rules, as well as against the Justice Minister, who approved the rules. The Rules Board...
30 January 2012
The Mhlanganisweni community, who has lodged a land claim against world-renowned game reserve MalaMala, received help from an unexpected source recently: their neighbours. Private game reserve Londolozi, whose own land is also under claim, agreed to manage the community’s proposed new eco-business on MalaMala. In addition Londolozi promised an investment of R75 million to the community...