Search results for: “uganda”

  • International crimes, national courts

    International crimes, national courts

    Brussels – Victims of human rights violations need to see justice being done to increase their confidence and participation in the justice processes. Today, International Justice Day is being celebrated throughout the world to encourage an emerging system of international criminal justice. Since 1996, ASF provides active support to the prosecution of international crimes before…

  • Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa’s trial must be fair

    Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa’s trial must be fair

    Bujumbura – On the day before Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa’s trial, ASF is calling on the courts of Burundi to operate in strict compliance with laws and with full respect for its independence. President of the Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Incarcerated Persons (Association pour la protection des droits humains et des personnes détenues,…

  • Armed groups threaten human rights defenders

    Armed groups threaten human rights defenders

    Uvira (East of the Democratic Republic of Congo) – In a region where armed groups continue to commit grave human rights violations, defend human rights of former child soldiers is a high-risk activity. For example, two human rights defenders (HRDs) have been violently attacked by armed men in the office of their NGO. This incident…

  • “Giving legal aid is like giving hope”

    “Giving legal aid is like giving hope”

    Promoting free legal aid is paramount in supporting access to justice for people living in vulnerable situations. Avocats Sans Frontières, in partnership with the Uganda Law Society, is mobilizing lawyers to defend the basic rights of Ugandans. Akello Suzan Apita is one of the 16 lawyers engaged in this endeavor.

  • “We are caught between a rock and a hard place”

    “We are caught between a rock and a hard place”

    President of a human rights defence association, Rénovat Ninahazwe is a Burundian human rights defender at risk. As a result of serious threats, he has had to leave his country, finding temporary refuge in Uganda with the help of Avocats Sans Frontières. He and his family are being taken care of in the context of…

  • What’s the point of human rights if there is no access to remedy?

    What’s the point of human rights if there is no access to remedy?

    On the occasion of Human Rights Day on 10 December, ASF notes that rights are not effective if so many people in vulnerable situations cannot access remedy for human rights violations. This is especially the case in countries emerging from conflict or in transition.

  • Why is justice without borders?

    Why is justice without borders?

    Who better to respond to this question than ASF’s Heads of Mission and Regional Representatives, based in different countries worldwide. They have gathered for ten days of intensive briefing at ASF’s headquarters in Brussels and they share their views about the core of the organisation’s mandate: the defense of human rights.

  • Seven African countries face the challenge of transitional justice

    Seven African countries face the challenge of transitional justice

    For countries emerging from armed conflict or liberated from an authoritarian regime, transitional justice is crucial to achieving reconciliation among former “enemies”. Exchanging experiences in this domain is important. Therefore, ASF gathered lawyers and experts from 7 African countries to discuss this indispensable step towards lasting peace.

  • Being a lawyer, a high-risk profession

    Being a lawyer, a high-risk profession

    Whether they are members of civil society organizations, lawyers or media professionals, human rights defenders have a common objective: promote and protect human rights. They are often confronted with attempts to limit their work such as threats, harassment, and sometimes torture or even murder. That is why ASF and the East Africa Law Society are…

  • A National Legal Aid Strategy in Burundi: A first in the Great Lakes Region

    A National Legal Aid Strategy in Burundi: A first in the Great Lakes Region

    Ensuring equal rights and guaranteeing access to justice for all citizens is a challenge, particularly in a country such as Burundi. Until recently, twenty organisations have been separately, without coordination…