The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights Sensitization Mission in Mauritania

16-08-2022

Beatrice Serra 

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher 

Global Human Rights Defence

From August 15th to 17th, 2022, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights is holding a mission in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania with the aim of encouraging the country to deposit the Declaration under Article 34 of the Protocol. With such a Declaration, Mauritania would accept “the competence of Court to receive cases [directly by individuals and NGOs] under Article 5(3) of this Protocol” (Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Article 34). 

Since its adoption in 1998, only seven State have deposited their declaration. Despite Mauritania acceded to the Protocol in 2005, its declaration recognizing the competence of the Court is still missing. President of the Court, Hon Lady Justice Imani Daud Aboud reiterated the responsibility of Member State in ratifying the protocol for guaranteeing the effective functioning of the Court as a human rights protection mechanism (African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, 2022). 

Source and Further Readings:

African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (August 12, 2022), The African Court on Human And Peoples’ Rights To Undertake Sensitisation Mission To Mauritania Next Week, African Court News, retrieved on August 16th, 2022, from https://www.african-court.org/wpafc/the-african-court-on-human-and-peoples-rights-to-undertake-sensitisation-mission-to-mauritania-this-week/. 

African Union (June 10, 19989), Protocol to the African Charter on Human And Peoples' Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, retrieved on August 16th, 2020, from https://au.int/en/treaties/protocol-african-charter-human-and-peoples-rights-establishment-african-court-human-and.