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Citation
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Judgment date
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| January 2026 |
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The third-party opponent successfully proved the prior judgment prejudiced its property rights; ownership findings were struck out.
Third-party proceedings (Art.91 Rules) – Admissibility – Prejudice to non-party rights – Ownership dispute over commercial assets – Limits of Court’s human-rights adjudication where private property title is contested – Amendment/striking of prior judgment – Costs: each party bears own costs.
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30 January 2026 |
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Court finds dismissals unlawful for breach of ECOWAS Staff Regulations and awards arrears and compensation.
Public service jurisdiction; ECOWAS Staff Regulations (Articles 67, 69, 73, 92-95); right to fair hearing; procedural due process in disciplinary proceedings; unlawful dismissal; remedies—reinstatement or salary in lieu, arrears, moral damages; costs.
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30 January 2026 |
| November 2025 |
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Requirement that military personnel resign before ECOWAS permanent conversion lawful; applicant's salary suspension for assuming ministerial office justified.
Public international/Employment law – ECOWAS public service – jurisdiction under Article 9(1)(f) – admissibility and exhaustion of internal remedies when procedures non-operational – conversion of contract staff to permanent status – military status and exclusive loyalty – non-binding nature of Council recommendations – salary suspension for constructive abandonment and breach of exclusivity.
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19 November 2025 |
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Whether a revision is admissible absent newly discovered decisive facts unknown at the time of the judgment.
Revision of judgment – Article 25 Protocol and Articles 92–93 Rules – admissibility requires discovery of new decisive facts unknown to Court and party – three‑month rule – not an appellate route to challenge evidential assessment or merits (MOU dispute) – jurisdiction affirmed but application inadmissible.
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19 November 2025 |
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The respondent's failure to reconstitute its NHRC governing council violated the applicant's right to a timely fair hearing.
Human rights — Right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time (Article 7(1)(d), African Charter) — Applicability to quasi-judicial bodies (NHRC) — State responsibility for institutional inaction — Jurisdiction and admissibility of human-rights applications — Reparations: general damages and orders to ensure determination.
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17 November 2025 |
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Whether prolonged detention under a mandatory death sentence and lack of medical care violate rights to freedom from torture and health.
Human rights — Death penalty — Mandatory death sentence and method (hanging) — prolonged detention on death row as torture/cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment — Right to health of prisoners — ECOWAS Court jurisdiction and reparations (commutation/release, medical care, compensation).
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10 November 2025 |
| July 2025 |
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Alleged failure to promote a magistrate was not established as discrimination; promotion was discretionary and claimant lacked evidence.
Human rights — Equality before the law — Promotion of magistrates — Discretionary executive appointments — Burden of proof and evidentiary requirements for discrimination claims.
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2 July 2025 |
| May 2025 |
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Court found arbitrary detention of named applicants, dismissed plebiscite and self-determination claims, awarded limited compensation.
Human rights jurisdiction – limits on review of historical plebiscites and trusteeships; review of domestic laws only in context of alleged continuing human-rights violations; standing of NGOs requires proof of legal personality; arbitrary detention – failure to bring detainees before court within prescribed time; reparations – modest compensation and conditional release/prosecution.
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16 May 2025 |
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The ECOWAS Court lacks jurisdiction to hear contractual claims by a private party against a Member State.
Jurisdiction — ECOWAS Court — limits of Article 9 Supplementary Protocol — no jurisdiction over contractual disputes between Member States and third parties — admissible preliminary objection of lack of jurisdiction — costs awarded to respondent.
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15 May 2025 |
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Prolonged pretrial detention violated rights to liberty, movement, fair trial and amounted to inhuman treatment; release and compensation ordered.
Human rights — Jurisdiction of ECOWAS Community Court — Admissibility — Limitation period inapplicable to human rights claims — Arbitrary arrest and prolonged pretrial detention — Rights to liberty, freedom of movement, fair trial within reasonable time — Cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment — Reparations: release and compensation.
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15 May 2025 |
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Unlawful internet and social media shutdowns violated applicants' rights to freedom of expression, information and to work.
Human rights — internet and social media shutdowns — legality, necessity and proportionality — freedom of expression and access to information (Art 19 ICCPR; Art 9 African Charter) — standing of juristic persons for expression claims — right to work (Art 6 ICESCR; Art 15 African Charter) — reparations — ECOWAS/UEMOA regulatory instruments not human-rights instruments for jurisdictional purposes.
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14 May 2025 |
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Whether internal remedies were exhausted and whether recruitment breached fairness and geographic distribution rules.
Administrative law — ECOWAS staff disputes — Jurisdiction under Article 9(1)(f) — Admissibility and exhaustion of internal remedies — Recruitment and appointment — Primary criterion of technical efficiency; geographical distribution ancillary — Burden of proof in discrimination claims — Protection against denigration under Staff Regulations.
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13 May 2025 |
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Court found jurisdiction but dismissed the claim because applicants failed to prove locus standi or legal personality.
Human rights — jurisdiction under Article 9(4) of the Protocol — admissibility under Article 10(d) — locus standi — direct and indirect victims — proof of relationship — legal personality of an Estate — failure to produce birth certificate or probate/Letters of Administration — dismissal for inadmissibility.
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13 May 2025 |
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Applicant failed to prove alleged discrimination under Article 2; Court had jurisdiction but dismissed the claim for lack of evidence.
Human rights — Non-discrimination — Article 2 African Charter — burden of proof — necessity to identify and prove third‑party interactions — jurisdiction of ECOWAS Court — institutions versus Member States — admissibility of human‑rights application.
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8 May 2025 |
| April 2025 |
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Court admits only freedom of expression claims; strikes down vague blasphemy laws and orders repeal/amendment as incompatible with international law.
Human rights – Jurisdiction – actio popularis – admissibility of freedom of expression claims; Freedom of expression – limits must be lawful, legitimate and necessary – vagueness defeats legality; Blasphemy laws – death penalty disproportionate; State responsibility for laws of federating units.
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9 April 2025 |
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The respondent violated the applicant's right against inhuman treatment and to a timely investigation; damages and investigations ordered.
Human rights jurisdiction – Admissibility – Victim status; Evidence and burden of proof – Medical certificate and contemporaneous press reports; Prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment (Article 5 African Charter); Right to be tried/rights to a hearing within reasonable time (Article 7 African Charter) – undue delay of 14+ years; State responsibility for acts of law enforcement agents; Remedies – damages, investigation and compliance reporting; Costs ordered against State.
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9 April 2025 |
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Applicant failed to prove Cabo Verde denied access to essential medicine; Court found no violation of the right to health.
Human rights — Right to health — Access to essential medicines — State obligations to respect, protect and fulfill health rights — Burden of proof — Jurisdiction and admissibility of individual applications under ECOWAS Court jurisdiction.
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7 April 2025 |
| March 2025 |
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Respondent liable for arbitrary detention, degrading treatment, media-driven breach of presumption of innocence; investigation and CFA 30,000,000 awarded.
Human rights — Jurisdiction and admissibility of default judgment — Arbitrary arrest and detention — Inhuman and degrading treatment in custody — Presumption of innocence violated by public media exposure — Right to privacy, honour and reputation — Reparations and costs.
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17 March 2025 |
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Claims of statutory discrimination over land were declared moot after 2022 land laws repealed the impugned statute; damages denied.
Human rights — land rights — alleged statutory discrimination against an ethnic community — Provinces Land Act (Cap.122) — National Land Commission Act 2022 and Customary Land Rights Act 2022 repeal and reform — admissibility and default judgment — reparations refused for lack of evidential proof.
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17 March 2025 |
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Applicants’ arrests and forcible home entries violated privacy, liberty, assembly, expression and fair‑trial rights; damages awarded.
Human rights – unlawful entry into private homes; arbitrary arrest and detention; infringement of freedom of assembly, demonstration and expression; violation of right to counsel and fair trial; remedies and damages (5,000,000 CFA per applicant); costs awarded against State.
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17 March 2025 |
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ECOWAS Court finds fair‑trial violations (unreasonable delay and denial of defence), awards modest damages and orders costs against the State.
Human rights — jurisdiction — admissibility — expedited procedure — fair trial: presumption of innocence; right to be tried within reasonable time; right of defence (access to counsel and file) — arbitrary detention — torture and inhuman or degrading treatment — compensation and costs.
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14 March 2025 |
| February 2025 |
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State agents' use of lethal force and the State's inadequate investigation violated the victim's rights to life and fair hearing.
Human rights — Right to life (Article 4 African Charter) — State responsibility for lethal actions of security forces — Duty to conduct prompt, effective investigation and provide remedies — Right to fair hearing (Article 7) — Proof of victim status and admissibility.
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28 February 2025 |
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Representative applicant’s failure to produce mandate rendered EndSARS-related human-rights application inadmissible despite Court’s jurisdiction.
Human rights — Jurisdiction to hear alleged violations of freedom of expression and assembly; Admissibility — victim status and standing; Representative actions — requirement of mandate/authorization for actions on behalf of determinable victims; Failure to produce authorization renders representative application inadmissible.
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14 February 2025 |
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Court finds ECOWAS sanctions lawful, rejects damages claim and dismisses application as unfounded.
Community law – jurisdiction under Art.9(1)(g) for damages claims against Community institutions; admissibility and default judgment; sanctions and measures under Art.77(3) Revised Treaty and Democracy and Good Governance Protocol; legality vs arbitrariness of ECOWAS measures; no liability for lawful acts of the Community; limits of Art.9(4) human-rights jurisdiction.
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14 February 2025 |
| January 2025 |
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Court found jurisdiction but dismissed application as inadmissible for lack of proper locus standi and mandate.
Human rights jurisdiction — ECOWAS Court jurisdiction over alleged rights violations from domestic law application; admissibility — Article 10(d) Supplementary Protocol; actio popularis; corporate standing for freedom of expression claims; representative actions require mandate; broadcasting regulation v. freedom of expression.
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27 January 2025 |
| December 2024 |
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Court found respondent liable for torture by police, awarded compensation, and rejected statute-bar and sub-judice objections.
Human rights — Jurisdiction of ECOWAS Court over individual complaints — Statute of limitations inapplicable to individual human rights claims — Sub-judice and appellate objections — Torture and ill-treatment in custody (Article 5 African Charter) — Presumption of state responsibility for injuries in detention — Duty to investigate and prosecute — Reparations (compensation and remedial orders).
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3 December 2024 |
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Prolonged unresolved criminal investigations violated the applicant's right to work; media publications by private actors were not attributable to the State.
Jurisdiction — Admissibility — Default judgment formalities — State responsibility and attribution — Media publications and presumption of innocence — Interdiction pending investigation — Prolonged investigations and violation of right to work — Reparations and procedural remedies.
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3 December 2024 |
| November 2024 |
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Court granted default judgment, found re‑arrest and detention after charge withdrawal arbitrary, awarded US$10,000 in damages.
Human rights — Default judgment — Jurisdiction and admissibility — Lawful detention versus arbitrariness — State responsibility for agents’ acts — Requirement to inform arrested person of reasons — Remedies: compensation awarded for arbitrary re‑arrest and detention.
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22 November 2024 |
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22 November 2024 |
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Default judgment refused where applicant failed to verify identity and produce sufficiently probative evidence of torture.
Human rights – Alleged torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment by state security agents – Default judgment – jurisdiction and admissibility – service and formalities – evidentiary requirements; identity verification and probative value of photos and affidavits – burden to satisfy Court despite respondent's default.
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14 November 2024 |
| October 2024 |
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Court lacked temporal jurisdiction over 1990 massacre claims; limitation inapplicable but non‑retroactivity barred adjudication.
Human-rights jurisdiction – Ratione temporis – Non‑retroactivity of the 2005 Supplementary Protocol (critical date 19 Jan 2005) – Statute of limitations inapplicable to human-rights enforcement – Continuing-violation doctrine – Duty to investigate as ancillary to substantive right.
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17 October 2024 |
| July 2024 |
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10 July 2024 |
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Applicant’s fair-trial and property claims dismissed for lack of evidence and absence of ownership.
Human rights jurisdiction; fair trial — public hearing and equality of arms in administrative proceedings; impartiality and burden of proof for bias; legal certainty and revision of judgments; right to property — ownership by final concession; remedies and costs.
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10 July 2024 |
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Whether a Community institution lawfully summarily dismissed a staff member and suspended salary pending appeal.
ECOWAS Staff Regulations – Article 69 (disciplinary procedure) – requirement of specific notice, disclosure and adequate time to prepare defence – summary dismissal; Article 73(b) – suspension of sanctions pending appeal (includes cessation of salary); jurisdiction of Court over Community staff disputes; remedies: unlawful dismissal entitles to back pay and compensation in lieu of reinstatement; costs determination.
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10 July 2024 |
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Court found jurisdiction and admissibility but dismissed gas-flaring human-rights claims for lack of proof; nominal costs awarded.
Environmental human-rights jurisdiction — actio popularis and NGO standing — admissibility and pendency — evidentiary burden to prove causation and actual harm — state measures on gas flaring — dismissal for lack of proof; nominal costs awarded.
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4 July 2024 |
| June 2024 |
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Whether delay in issuing land title and alleged failure to protect property violated applicants' right to property.
Human rights — Property rights (Article 14 African Charter) — Tribal Land Certificates vs. formal title under Liberian Public Lands Law — Presidential signature required for vesting title — Corporate applicant capacity (limited exception) — State positive obligation to protect property and attribution of private actors' conduct — Burden to show notice and failure to act by authorities.
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6 June 2024 |
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Court competent to interpret its judgments but cannot order national courts to enforce them; interpretation request inadmissible for lack of specificity.
Public international court — Interpretation of judgments — Article 23 competence to construe meaning or scope — Enforcement of ECOWAS Court judgments lies with Member States/national competent authorities — Admissibility of interpretation requests requires specification of operative provisions, words or passages to be clarified — Expedited procedure and default judgment subject to jurisdiction and admissibility checks.
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6 June 2024 |
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Domestic military immunity cannot oust ECOWAS Court jurisdiction; exhaustion of local remedies is not required.
Human rights – Right to life (Article 4 African Charter) – Jurisdiction of ECOWAS Community Court – Domestic immunity (Armed Forces Act s.239) cannot oust international jurisdiction – Pacta sunt servanda – Non‑exhaustion of local remedies not a bar to access.
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6 June 2024 |
| May 2024 |
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ECOWAS Court declines jurisdiction for pre‑2005 killings and dismisses NGO's suit for lack of standing.
Human-rights jurisdiction — temporal scope of 2005 Additional Protocol — non‑retroactivity; actio popularis and NGO standing — representative mandate or family authorisation required where victims are identifiable; admissibility — locus standi; right to life and freedom of expression (journalists).
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30 May 2024 |
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Revision based on alleged undisclosed criminal charges inadmissible due to applicants' negligence.
Revision of judgment – Article 25 Protocol and Articles 92–93 Rules – discovery of new facts – timeliness – ignorance not due to negligence – public records and media disclosure – reporting obligations under Staff Regulations inapplicable post-termination.
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30 May 2024 |
| January 2024 |
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Applicant’s employment claims dismissed as statute‑barred; domestic human rights claims cannot be brought against an ECOWAS Institution.
Administrative law – Staff regulations – summary dismissal – fair hearing – statute of limitations under Article 9(3) of the Supplementary Protocol – human rights claims against international/community institutions – only States as proper defendants.
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30 January 2024 |
| November 2023 |
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ECOWAS Court held Nigeria's age, accreditation and training requirements in Press Act violate Article 9, ordered legislative amendment.
Freedom of expression — compulsory accreditation, age and education requirements in Press Council Act — online and citizen journalism — Article 9 African Charter — legitimacy and necessity tests for restrictions on expression — jurisdiction of ECOWAS Court to examine specific domestic law provisions — arrest/detention standards under Article 6.
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24 November 2023 |
| October 2023 |
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Whether an unjustified internet shutdown and social-media blocking violated NGOs' rights to information and freedom of expression.
Human rights — Freedom of expression and right to information — Internet shutdowns and social media blocking — Default judgment for non-appearance — Standing of NGOs/legal persons to sue — Damages rejected for lack of quantification — State obligation to enact safeguards.
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31 October 2023 |
| March 2022 |
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Whether a ministerial ban on political demonstrations unlawfully violated collective freedoms of assembly and expression.
Human rights — Freedom of assembly and expression — Ministerial ban on political demonstrations — NGOs’ standing — actio popularis — admissibility and locus standi — necessity, proportionality and specificity of security justification — repeal and collective reparative measures.
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31 March 2022 |
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Court finds an indefinite ban on political demonstrations violated Senegalese people's rights to assembly and expression; Order repealed.
Human rights jurisdiction; admissibility of NGOs’ representative actions; standing of legal persons; review of national administrative orders; rights to freedom of assembly and expression; limits on broad indefinite bans on political demonstrations; reparations and repeal of unlawful measures.
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31 March 2022 |
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Court dismissed challenge to a draft Hate Speech Bill for failure to prove an imminent violation of freedom of expression.
Freedom of expression – Anticipatory human rights violations – Jurisdiction to review legislative process – Burden of proof and need for certified copy of draft bill/Hansard – Proportionality of restrictions under Article 27(2) African Charter.
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29 March 2022 |
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Court affirmed human-rights jurisdiction but dismissed NGO-led representative suit for lack of mandate; costs shared.
Human-rights jurisdiction under Article 9(4) – Court may examine domestic judgments where human-rights violations are alleged – Time limitation: human-rights actions not statute-barred (French text) – Representative actions: NGO requires mandate/authorization from direct victims – Admissibility and locus standi – Death-row conditions, right to fair trial, prohibition against torture.
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29 March 2022 |
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An NGO’s representative human-rights application for living inmates is inadmissible without a mandate to act.
Human rights jurisdiction – Standing and admissibility – Representative actions by NGOs – Mandate/authorization required to act for living victims – Exceptions for death or public-interest litigation – Death-row conditions alleged as torture under Articles 5 and 7 of the African Charter.
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29 March 2022 |
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Applicants challenging a draft hate‑speech bill failed to prove imminent violations; court dismissed their claims and denied relief.
Human rights — Freedom of expression — Anticipatory/injunctive claims against draft legislation — Jurisdiction and admissibility — Burden and standard of proof — Need for certified copy of the bill/Hansard to show reasonable and convincing indices of imminent violation.
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29 March 2022 |
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Unreasonable prosecutorial delay violated the applicant’s right to a fair hearing; other human-rights claims dismissed.
Human rights — fair trial — unreasonable length of criminal proceedings — State responsibility for omissions — remedy and investigation obligations — discrimination test (comparators) — damages for procedural delay.
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23 March 2022 |
