The application of the principle of complementarity in the relationship between the African Court and the African Commission under the Regional African Human Rights System
| dc.contributor.advisor | Rudman, Annika | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Thomas, Irene Nyakagere | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Law. Dept. of Public Law. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-11-14T01:23:01Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-12-22T14:20:06Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-11-14T01:23:01Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-12-22T14:20:06Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021-12 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (LLD)--Stellenbosch University, 2021. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The principle of complementarity has great potential in enhancing the engagement between the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (African Commission) and the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights (African Court) to improve and strengthen the protection of human rights on the African continent. As observed in this research, the shared and overlapping mandates of these institutions can only be effectively coordinated if they work together in a planned, structured, and constructive way. As argued in this research, a well informed and developed application of the principle of complementarity could aid in achieving the overlapping mandates of these institutions, enhance access to justice within the regional African human rights system and facilitate the maximisation of the limited financial resources allocated to the two institutions. The 17 years of co-existence between the African Commission and African Court have witnessed various efforts geared towards activating the principle of complementarity. This includes case transfers and reform of the Rules of Procedure of the two institutions. However, the application of complementarity in the relationship between the African Commission and the African Court still faces serious challenges. The main hurdles being the ambiguity of, and minimum recourse to the complementarity provisions by the two institutions. In a quest to unlock the potential of the principle of complementarity, this research adopts a theoretical framework that speaks not only to the legal component of the discourse but also to its organisational component. The analysis is informed by a fusion of reinforcement theory and relevant elements of organisational theory. To establish a frame of reference to guide the analysis of the application of the principle of complementarity in the relationship between the African Commission and the African Court the research also analyses other complementary institutional arrangements in international law such as the United Nations’ human rights compliance mechanisms, the International Criminal Court system, the Inter-American human rights system as well as the European human rights system. The research findings demonstrate the need for the incorporation of the organisational component in the deliberations and strategies adopted by the two institutions with regard to their complementary relationship. By drawing inspiration from other regional and international complementary institutional arrangements, the research further highlights that the lack of express articulation of the modes of engagement in the complementarity arrangement between the African Commission and the African Court does not bar the development of mutual enforcement strategies. Instead, it could inspire flexibility and progressive transformation to ensure that the normative framework does not restrict complementarity. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die beginsel van komplementariteit bied groot potensiaal om die betrokkenheid tussen die Afrika-kommissie vir Mense- en Volkeregte (Afrika-kommissie) en die Afrika-hof vir Mense- en Volkeregte (Afrika-hof) uit te brei ten einde die beskerming van menseregte op die vasteland van Afrika te verbeter en te versterk. Volgens waarnemings in hierdie navorsing kan die gedeelde en oorvleuelende mandate van dié instellings slegs effektief gekoördineer word indien hulle op ’n beplande, gestruktureerde, en konstruktiewe wyse kan saamwerk. Soos in hierdie navorsing aangevoer, kan ’n goed ingeligte en ontwikkelde toepassing van die beginsel van komplementariteit bydra om die oorvleuelende mandate van hierdie instellings te behaal, toegang tot geregtigheid in die regionale Afrika-menseregtestelsel te verbeter, en die maksimalisering van die beperkte finansiële hulpbronne wat aan dié twee instellings toegewys word, te vergemaklik. In die 17 jaar van naasbestaan tussen die Afrika-kommissie en die Afrika-hof was daar verskeie pogings wat daarop gemik was om die komplementariteitsbeginsel te aktiveer. Dit sluit in die oordrag van sake en die hervorming van die twee instellings se reglemente van orde. Die toepassing van komplementariteit in die verhouding tussen die Afrika-kommissie en die Afrika-hof staar egter steeds ernstige uitdagings in die gesig. Die belangrikste struikelblokke is die dubbelsinnigheid van, en die minimale regresreg op die komplementariteitsbepalings deur die twee instellings. In ’n poging om die potensiaal van die komplementariteitsbeginsel te ontsluit, aanvaar hierdie navorsing ’n teoretiese raamwerk wat nie alleen die regskomponent van die diskoers aanspreek nie maar ook die organisatoriese komponent daarvan. Die ontleding word ingelig deur ’n samevloeiing van die versterkingsteorie en tersaaklike elemente van die organisatoriese teorie. Vir die opstelling van ’n verwysingsraamwerk wat die ontleding van die komplementariteitsbeginsel in die verhouding tussen die Afrika-kommissie en die Afrika-hof kan stuur, ontleed die navorsing ook ander komplementêre institusionele reëlings in die internasionale reg, soos die Verenigde Nasies se nakomingsmeganismes vir menseregte, die Internasionale Strafhof-stelsel, die Inter-Amerikaanse menseregtestelsel, sowel as die Europese menseregtestelsel. Die navorsingsbevindings demonstreer die behoefte om die organisatoriese komponent in te sluit by die beraadslagings en strategieë wat die twee instellings vir hul komplementêre verhouding aanvaar het. Deur inspirasie te put uit ander regionale en internasionale komplementêre institusionele reëlings, beklemtoon die navorsing verder dat die gebrek aan uitdruklike artikulasie van die wyses van betrokkenheid wat die komplementariteitsreëling tussen die Afrika-kommissie en die Afrika-hof betref, nie die ontwikkeling van onderlinge afdwingingstrategieë belemmer nie. Dit kan eerder buigsaamheid en progressiewe transformasie inspireer om te verseker dat die normatiewe raamwerk nie komplementariteit beperk nie. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Doctoral | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | 254 pages | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/123764 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | African human rights system | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Complementarity (International law) | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | en_ZA |
| dc.title | The application of the principle of complementarity in the relationship between the African Court and the African Commission under the Regional African Human Rights System | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |