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Citation
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Judgment date
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| December 2023 |
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Whether conviction in absentia under a nickname violated the applicant's fair-trial rights before the ECOWAS Court.
Human rights – Fair trial – Trial in absentia – Identity and nickname in criminal proceedings – Victim status/standing – Admissibility – Evidence threshold – Refusal to compel witness – ECOWAS Court jurisdiction.
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11 December 2023 |
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An individual’s public-interest suit is inadmissible without authorization or where sought reliefs are personal rather than public.
Human rights – Freedom of expression and assembly – Jurisdiction – Admissibility – Locus standi – Individual applicants cannot claim for another’s rights without authorization – Actio-popularis by individuals allowed only where rights are public, reliefs exclusively public, and victims envisagable – Personal-benefit reliefs render public-interest action inadmissible.
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7 December 2023 |
| November 2023 |
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Age, accreditation and education requirements in Press Act unlawfully restrict freedom of expression; discrimination claim dismissed.
Freedom of expression – Journalism as a function in evolving media – Age limits, compulsory accreditation and educational prerequisites – Restrictions must be prescribed by law, pursue a legitimate aim and be necessary/proportionate; where they fail tests, they violate Article 9 of the African Charter; discrimination claim under Article 2 requires proof of differential treatment; arrests/detentions must be substantiated to establish arbitrariness.
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24 November 2023 |
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A political party may sue for property and fair-hearing violations; Court limited to reviewing procedural fairness, not substantive appeals.
Human rights — Jurisdiction of Community Court — Corporate applicants (political parties) may sue for rights fundamental to corporate existence (property, fair hearing) — Court may review national decisions only to assess procedural fairness, not as an appellate body — Admissibility and authorization of corporate applicants.
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24 November 2023 |
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Court expedited case but found no human-rights violations, dismissed damages, and ordered applicant to pay costs.
Human rights jurisdiction – standing of political party leader after contested dissolution – expedited procedure for electoral urgency – non-reviewability of national court decisions – no proven violations of fair trial, liberty, property or health – dismissal of damages claim; costs to applicant.
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17 November 2023 |
| October 2023 |
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An unjustified internet shutdown violated the applicants' rights to information and freedom of expression; damages denied for lack of quantification.
Human rights — Internet shutdowns and social media blockings — Right to information (ACHPR Art.9) — Freedom of expression (ICCPR Art.19) — NGOs' standing — Default judgment — Requirement that restrictions be lawful, legitimate, necessary and proportionate — Reparations denied for unquantified claims.
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31 October 2023 |
