•
•
Institute human rights training programmes for law enforcement agencies and relevant civil
servants dealing with matters involving non-nationals on non-discrimination, due process, and
the rights of detainees, among others;
The African Commission further requests that the Republic of Angola report back to it, at a
later stage, measures it has taken to implement the recommendations made in this
communication.
Holding
For these reasons, the African Commission finds the Respondent State in violation of Articles
1, 2, 5, 6, 7(1)(a), 12(4), 12(5), 14 and 15of the African Charter, but holds that there wasn’t enough
evidence to establish a violation of Article 3 of the Charter.
rd
Done at the 43 Ordinary Session in Ezulwini, Kingdom of Swaziland, from 7 – 22 May, 2008.
Footnotes
1. 347 U.S 483 (1954).
2. www.legal-explanations.com
3. See the Commission’s decision in Communication 225/1998, Huri-Laws v. Nigeria, para 27.
4. Communication 224/98 Media Rights Agenda v Nigeria, para. 71.
5. See the Commission’s decision in Communications 48/90, 50/91, 52/91, 89/93 Amnesty International, Comité
Loosli Bachelard, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, Association of Members of the Episcopal Conference of
East Africa v Sudan, para. 54.
6. See the Commission’s decision in Communication 78/92 Krishna Achuthan v Malawi, 64/92, Amnesty
International v Malawi, para. 7.
7. See the Commission’s decision in Communication 151/96 Civil Liberties Organisation v Nigeria, para. 27. See
also, at the international level, the UN Human Rights Committee’s views in Communication 253/1987 Kelly v
Jamaica where it held that respect of the inherent dignity of the human being required provisions of adequate
medical care and food and basic sanitation facilities during detention. In Kalenga v Zambia, the UN Human Rights
Committee went further to state that where the complainant was denied access to food and medical assistance
during his detention, the detention did not respect the inherent dignity of the human being.
8. See Communication 232/99 John D. Ouko v Kenya, para. 24 in which the Commission held that a violation of
the [Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners], the UN body of principles for the protection of all
persons under any form of detention or imprisonment effectively constitutes a violation of Article 5 of the Charter.
9. See Media Rights Agenda v Nigeria, para. 43.
10. See 25/89, 47/90, 56/91, 100/93 Free Legal Assistance Group, Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights, Union
Interafricaine des Droits de l’Homme, Les Témoins de Jehovah v. Zaire, para. 42.
11. See
12. See Communications 143/95, 150/96 Constitutional Rights Project and Civil Liberties Organisation v Nigeria,
para. 28.
13. See Huri-Laws v Nigeria, above para. 45.
14. See Communication 71/92 Rencontre Africaine pour la Defense des Droits de l’Homme v Zambia, para. 30.
15. Id. Para 23.
16. UN Human Rights Committee, ICCPR, A/57/40 vol. I (2002) at para. 76 (13) .
17. Ibid.
18. Communication 232/99 John Ouko / Kenya.
19. See for instance, Ebrima JT Kubaji, 217 Gambians Deported from Angola, The Daily Observer, 24 May 2004
at 24; Lugard WE Osayande, Consular meets deportees, The Daily Observer, 27 May 2003 at 24 (both available
at http://www.observer.gm [no longer available]).
20. Angola - Guinea: Deported Guineans complain of ill treatment, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs, 11 Jun. 2004 athttp://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=50220.
21. Humanitarian Situation in Angola Monthly Analysis Apr 2004, The United Nations Office of Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, 30 Apr. 2004 at (http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/SZIE5Z6QHU) (“Unfortunately, the entire process of this round of ‘Operação Brilhante’ was poorly executed, without
respect for the dignity of those involved and rife with abuses, significant human rights abuses.”).
22. 159/96 Union Inter Africaine des Droits de l’Homme, Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de
l’Homme, Rencontre Africaine des Droits de l’Homme, Organisation Nationale des Droits de l’Homme au Sénégal
and Association Malienne des Droits de l'Homme / Angola.
23. Ibid.
24. Id. at para. 27.
25. See Huri-Laws / Nigeria, above at para 53.