Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) on Monday elected Lady Justice Imani Daud Aboud as its new President for a two year term.
The Tanzanian Judge who replaces Sylvain Oré from Ivory Coast, becomes the second female judge to head the continental court after Ghanaian Sophia Abea Boafoa Akuffo, and a second from the country after the late Justice Augustino Ramadhani.
Lady-Justice Aboud will now be deputised by Justice Blaise Tchikaya from the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville). According to head of Media and Information Unit at the AfCHPR, Sukdhev Chatbar, Lady Justice Aboud was elected by a panel of 11 judges during the Court’s 61st Ordinary Session, which started here.
The new AfCHPR President was first elected as Judge of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in July 2018. She holds Master of Laws (Malta) and Bachelor of Laws (University of Dar es Salaam). Lady Justice Aboud was also a Judge of the High Court of Tanzania.
Before joining the AfCHPR, Lady Justice Aboud held several key positions, including the post of the Assistant Director in the President’s Office (Public Service Management) and the State Attorney.
She represented the government in various international human rights conferences, seminars and workshops and was also involved in making periodic reports on Human Rights to UN and other monitoring bodies such as the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The Tanzanian also served as a Vice-Chairperson in the Independent Review Electoral Commission (IREC or Krigler Commission) in Kenya. The Commission was formed to facilitate the work of the Panel of Eminent Personalities under the leadership of the late Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General.
The Commission’s responsibility was to review the 2007 election process in Kenya. Shortly after taking the oath of office, Lady Justice Aboud vowed to work closely with African countries in upholding justice on the continent. Meanwhile, yesterday’s session saw the Arusha based court swear-in two Judges elected during the 34th African Union Heads of State and Government Ordinary Summit in February 2021.
Those who took oaths of office include Justice Dumisa Buhle Ntsebeza from South Africa and Malian Sacko Modibo. The newly elected Justices are replacing Ivorian Judge, Sylvain Oré and Justice Ângelo Vasco Matusse from Mozambique. According to information obtained from the Arusha based court two other judges were for a second and final term. They include Justice Rafaâ Ben Achour from Tunisia and Tanzania’s Lady-Justice Imani Daud Aboud.
During the four-week session, the AfCHPR will examine a number of applications. The Session will also formally launch its 2021-2025 Strategic Plan today.
The Continental Court was established by virtue of Article 1 of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to complement the protective mandate of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, with a view to enhancing the protection of human rights on the continent.
The Protocol was adopted on June 9, 1998 in Burkina Faso and came into force on January 25, 2004. The Court officially started its operations in November 2006 initially in Addis Ababa and a year later moved to its permanent seat in Arusha, Tanzania.
