Publications

The African Union adopted a resolution in 2016 establishing the Trust Fund responsible for collecting and disbursing reparations to victims of ex-Chad dictator Hissène Habré. The Trust Fund has been mandated to search for and recover Habré’s assets and to seek voluntary contributions from States and other willing parties. This note – prepared by REDRESS and the Association Tchadienne pour la Paix et les Droits de l’Homme (ATPDH) – seeks to support the establishment of the Trust Fund for Victims by outlining what future Terms of Reference of the Trust Fund could look like. It was shared with the African Union Office of Legal Affairs and other key stakeholders involved in the establishment of the Trust Fund in April 2016.  

This report, co-authored by REDRESS, TRIAL International, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), and The International Foundation Baltasar Garzón (FIBGAR), looks back on the unprecedented momentum of Universal Jurisdiction in 2016. In 47 cases across 13 States, States implemented Universal Jurisdiction in order to prosecute criminals regardless of their nationality or where the crime was committed, proving the doctrine to be a significant practical tool against impunity in Syria, Rwanda, Nepal, Guatemala, Iraq, and elsewhere. REDRESS calls upon domestic jurisdictions around the globe to seize this growing opportunity to bring justice to the perpetrators of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and torture. 

Authored in collaboration with Barbara Maigari (JI Fellow) Partners West Africa-Nigeria and Legal Resources Consortium, this Commentary considers the challenges and opportunities present in the adoption of a comprehensive anti-torture bill in Nigeria, and offers concrete recommendations for its introduction to relevant stakeholders. Relying on interviews with national experts, a comprehensive literature review, and several consultative meetings, this report briefly outlines the practice of torture and ill-treatment in the Nigeria, and identifies shortcomings in the existing legal framework that need to be addressed in accordance with the country’s international obligations.  

This report summarises the proceedings of the stakeholder roundtable organised by the Human Rights Center at the University of California, the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and REDRESS, to assess how to best incorporate techniques of victim participation at the ICC and other comparative jurisdictions into the workings of Uganda's International Crimes Division (ICD). The ICD is the first domestic judicial body in Uganda to try international crimes, in particular war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Participants were made up of relevant actors of the ICD, experts on the implementation of victims’ rights at the ICC, and those working on the domestic implementation of victims’ rights in the United States and Kenya.

This manual seeks to assist those working to fight torture and to support victims through litigation in six countries in East Africa: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. This region boasts a vibrant and active civil society that has advocated for the introduction of specific anti-torture legislation to create opportunities for litigation at domestic, regional, and international levels. Meanwhile, national lawyers have continued to use existing avenues to litigate against torture to secure accountability and justice for victims. This manual seeks to build on those efforts to offer a practical guide to the continuing development of a range of avenues for victims of torture and ill-treatment to obtain redress. 

REDRESS and the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies have made a joint submission to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sudan and South Sudan. The Government of Sudan remains non-complaint with its obligations pertaining to the absolute prohibition of torture, including accountability for torture by officials of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) under the National Security Act of 2010. The UK government must develop a specific human rights strategy for its engagement with the Sudanese government. In particular, the UK government must make respect for human rights - particularly accountability for torture and ill-treatment - a key condition of any future engagement between the UK and Sudan.

In this brief, REDRESS provides an analysis of the victim participation framework enshrined in the International Crimes Division (ICD) rules adopted at the High Court in Uganda. The recommendations made herein are based on good practices identified by REDRESS in a study on victim participation in criminal proceedings across 22 countries. The aim of the recommendations is to support the ICD in ensuring that victims can exercise their rights to the fullest extent.

Du 12 au 13 Juillet 2016 s’est tenu dans la salle de conférence de JM Résidence à Bangui, un atelier sur la Cour Pénale Spéciale en République Centrafricaine co- organisé par Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) et REDRESS. Cet atelier a connu la participation des acteurs judiciaires, des médias et des organisations de la société civile autour des questions relatives aux éléments clés et les prochaines étapes vers l’opérationnalité de la Cour Pénale Spéciale créée par la loi organique n°15.003 du 3 juin 2015.