The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights

This in-depth study of the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights assesses the effectiveness of the Charter and of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in its formative years. It also compares the Charter with other human rights instruments. The author asserts that respect for human rights made the existence of African societies possible despite the era of gross violation, and that the survival of African societies depends on respect for human rights. While conceding the universality of human rights, the author underscores African specificities and peculiarities. He discusses the proper limits of exclusively internal matters and puts forward the legitimate concerns of the international community as an effective check to arbitrariness and other violations. This book should be of interest to international lawyers, law students, the judiciary, foreign office officials and human rights activists.