Luanda — The specialized committees of the National Assembly on Tuesday approved a joint report related to Angola's adherence to the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, for further final votes.
The Organization of African Unity (OAU) Conference of Heads of State and Government held in June 1994 approved the creation of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights by Resolution AHG/Res. 239.
The objectives of the Court are to guarantee the promotion and protection of human and peoples' rights, freedoms and obligations.
The Protocol establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights was approved on 9 June 1998 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and entered into force on 25 January 2004, following its ratification by more than 15 countries. Currently 34 states have ratified the Protocol.
The Protocol Relating to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Establishment of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights does not contain in its text any principles or norms that offend against the legal order and the Constitution of the Republic of Angola.
In the first ten articles, the Protocol refers to the creation of the Court, its organization, competence, functioning and relations with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.
The Court officially began its work in November 2006, with its headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and then moved it in August 2007 to Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania.
Of the 34 Member States of the Protocol, only 8 have deposited a declaration recognizing the jurisdiction of the Court for cases brought directly by NGOs and individuals.
It exercises advisory and contentious powers, complementary to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.
The Court is made up of 11 judges from OAU member states with recognized legal and judicial competence and experience, as well as extensive academic experience in the field of human and peoples' rights.
Member states have the right to submit a maximum of three nominations, two of which are reserved for nationals.
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The Conference of Heads of State and Government of the African Union elects the members of the Court by secret ballot, with the criteria of equitable regional representation of the main regions of Africa, their main legal traditions and, in particular, paying greater attention to adequate representation of both sexes.
The judges' term of office is six years and they can be re-elected only once. With the exception of the President, who resides in the seat where the Court is located, the other judges reside in their countries of origin.
