The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights

This study is a description and analysis of the work of the African Commission on human and peoples' rights. Its aim is to make the African Commission accessible, and it therefore emphasizes the practical rather than the theoretical aspects of the work of the Commission. Readers should gain insight into the structure and mandate of the Commission, the procedures for examining complaints, and the State reporting procedure. A significant portion of the book addresses how the African Commission has dealt with actual cases alleging violation of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Charter. The information and analysis provided should benefit NGOs, individuals and human rights lawyers in their efforts to use the African human rights machinery to promote and protect human rights, and will, it is hoped, inspire academics and researchers to take up the theoretical issues highlighted, and develop them further. It is to be hoped that making the work of the African Commission accessible will increase the effectiveness of the African human rights system.