Category: News
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Lawyering for Change 2022: The Programme with the list of speakers is available!
Lawyering for Change 2022 zal meer dan dertig sprekers uit verschillende landen en met uiteenlopende specialisaties samenbrengen, die hun deskundigheid en vooral hun praktijkervaringen zullen delen om licht te werpen op de uitdagingen waarmee de toegang tot gerechtigheid en de rechtsstaat vandaag worden geconfronteerd.
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Press release – Special Parliamentary Commission on Belgium’s Colonial Past: A closure in December 2022 will not allow it to complete its mandate
The Special Parliamentary Commission on Belgium’s colonial past was initially given a one-year mandate until July 2021. Last month, its mandate was extended for a second and final time until December 2022. These extensions are a welcome recognition that the commission needs to have a sufficient timeframe to complete its ambitious mandate. The commission has…
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EU Due Diligence legislation : the EU Commission unveiled its proposal but serious gaps persist
On Wednesday 23 February, the European Commission presented its proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937. It imposes a principle of due diligence on companies with regard to human rights and environmental violations. This long-awaited text, whose initial ambition we commend, contains many gaps that could limit its…
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International Women’s day: Gender and witchcraft in the Central African Republic, fighting discrimination against women and children
In the Central African Republic, the prosecution of people suspected of witchcraft and charlatanism, which frequently leads to serious human rights violations, systematically impacts women and children. This must be examined from a gender-based violence perspective.
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Being detained in the Makala prison during the pandemic : An interview with the NGO PRODHOJ
Between March and September 2021, PRODHOJ, with the support of Avocats Sans Frontières, carried out monitoring work to evaluate the conditions of detention and access to justice of detainees in the central prison of Kinshasa, known as ‘Makala’, in the context of the COVID19 pandemic. In this interview, Samuel Atweka and Gysy Uma, both members…
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Press release: Publication of the expert report on Belgian colonial past: Signatories call for a holistic and inclusive justice process
On the occasion of its presentation to Parliament, the signatories commend the publication of the report written by the multidisciplinary team of experts mandated by the Special Parliamentary Commission on Belgium’s Colonial Past. This report is a new milestone towards a better understanding of the Belgian colonial era. It constitutes an important contribution to a…
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Prisons in Tunisia: inertia of a repressive system
In Tunisia, the actors of the penal chain tend to perpetuate the repressive reflexes of the former Ben Ali regime. Prison overcrowding remains very high: around 131% rate of occupation with 23,607 prisoners at the end of 2020 (accused and convicted together) for around 18,000 places available, resulting in detention conditions below international standards.
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Legal clinics to support access to justice during pandemic
Throughout the world, the pandemic has pushed people further away from access to justice. In Morocco, ASF has been relying for several years on legal clinics, set up in universities, to promote access to justice, particularly for people in vulnerable situations. Under the supervision of teachers and legal professionals, students provide legal services to the…
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Between walls – Mohamed Ramsis Ayari “The real bête noir in prison is overcrowding”
(Nederlands) In het kader van het project “Alternative”, gefinancierd door de Europese Unie en uitgevoerd door ASF en ATL MST SIDA, streeft de Association des Juristes de Sfax naar de modernisering van het penitentiaire en strafrechtelijke systeem in Tunesië. Door middel van verschillende pleitbezorgings- en bewustmakingsactiviteiten met magistraten en gevangenispersoneel in Sfax werkt de vereniging…
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Press release – NGOs call out to Perenco: end the opacity to tackle the multinational’s impunity
In a letter made public today, Sherpa, Friends of the Earth France and Avocats sans Frontières call the oil company Perenco S.A out. Our associations denounce the opacity of Perenco group’s organization and operation, as well as the absence of any information on the way the French company takes into account the social and environmental…