Centre for Human Rights
Encyclopedia
The University of Pretoria Faculty of Law was established in 1908 and consists of five academic departments, six centers, a law clinic and it's own publisher the Pretoria University Law Press (PULP). The faculty offers the undergraduate LLB degree, the postgraduate LLM and LLD degrees as well as several continuing education courses.
The Oliver R Tambo Law Library houses the faculty's collection of legal materials and the Law of Africa collection in the library is the single most comprehensive and current collection of primary legal materials of African countries.
The faculty organises the annual Afrcan
and World Human Rights Moot Court Competition
and in 2006, the faculty's Centre for Human Rights
received the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
. Since 1997, the university as a whole has produced more research outputs every year than any other institution of higher learning in South Africa, as measured by the Department of Education's accreditation benchmark.
at the University of Pretoria
, South Africa
, is an organisation dedicated to promoting human rights
on the continent of Africa
. The Centre, founded in 1986, promotes human rights through educational outreach, including multinational conferences, seminars and publications such as Human Rights Law in Africa, The African Human Rights Law Journal
, the African Human Rights Law Reports
and The Constitutional Law of South Africa. The Centre, which was founded during Apartheid, assisted in adapting a Bill of Rights
for South Africa and contributed to creating the South African Constitution
. In 2006, the Centre received the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
.
(the United Nations Special Rapporteur for extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions) being appointed as Co-Directors.
The ICLA coordinates the Oxford Constitutions Online African country reports and collaborates with the Centre for Human Rights to coordinate the Oxford Reports on International Law in Domestic Courts (ILDC) Online African case law.
, French, Arabic and Portuguese. PULP publishes a series of collections of legal documents related to African public law and legal text books from other African countries and is a member of the Publishers' association of South Africa.
The Oliver R Tambo Law Library houses the faculty's collection of legal materials and the Law of Africa collection in the library is the single most comprehensive and current collection of primary legal materials of African countries.
The faculty organises the annual Afrcan
African Human Rights Moot Court Competition
The African Human Rights Moot Court Competition is an international moot court competition with a special focus on human rights in Africa. The competition is organised by the Centre for Human Rights, based at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law in South Africa. Each year, the competition is...
and World Human Rights Moot Court Competition
World Human Rights Moot Court Competition
The World Human Rights Moot Court Competition is a moot court competition on international human rights law. In 2009 the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law's Centre for Human Rights, with the assistance of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, organised the...
and in 2006, the faculty's Centre for Human Rights
Centre for Human Rights
The University of Pretoria Faculty of Law was established in 1908 and consists of five academic departments, six centers, a law clinic and it's own publisher the Pretoria University Law Press...
received the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
The UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights, created in 1978 as the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, serves to honour the efforts of organizations or individuals that have...
. Since 1997, the university as a whole has produced more research outputs every year than any other institution of higher learning in South Africa, as measured by the Department of Education's accreditation benchmark.
Centre for Human Rights
The Centre for Human RightsCentre for Human Rights
The University of Pretoria Faculty of Law was established in 1908 and consists of five academic departments, six centers, a law clinic and it's own publisher the Pretoria University Law Press...
at the University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, is an organisation dedicated to promoting human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
on the continent of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. The Centre, founded in 1986, promotes human rights through educational outreach, including multinational conferences, seminars and publications such as Human Rights Law in Africa, The African Human Rights Law Journal
African Human Rights Law Journal
The African Human Rights Law Journal publishes peer-reviewed contributions dealing with human rights related topics of relevance to Africa, Africans, and scholars of Africa. The journal appears twice a year, in March and October.- Indexing :...
, the African Human Rights Law Reports
African Human Rights Law Reports
The African Human Rights Law Reports is an annual law journal published by JUTA Law on behalf of the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria. It contains legal decisions of relevance to human rights law in Africa...
and The Constitutional Law of South Africa. The Centre, which was founded during Apartheid, assisted in adapting a Bill of Rights
Bill of rights
A bill of rights is a list of the most important rights of the citizens of a country. The purpose of these bills is to protect those rights against infringement. The term "bill of rights" originates from England, where it referred to the Bill of Rights 1689. Bills of rights may be entrenched or...
for South Africa and contributed to creating the South African Constitution
Constitution of South Africa
The Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the country of South Africa. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the republic, sets out the rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of the government. The current constitution, the country's fifth, was...
. In 2006, the Centre received the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
The UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights, created in 1978 as the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, serves to honour the efforts of organizations or individuals that have...
.
Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa
The Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa (ICLA), established at the beginning of 2011, is a research institute located in the Faculty of Law with Professors Erika de Wet and Christof HeynsChristof Heyns
Christof Heyns is a Professor of Human Rights Law, Co-director of the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa at the University of Pretoria and United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.-Education:...
(the United Nations Special Rapporteur for extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions) being appointed as Co-Directors.
The ICLA coordinates the Oxford Constitutions Online African country reports and collaborates with the Centre for Human Rights to coordinate the Oxford Reports on International Law in Domestic Courts (ILDC) Online African case law.
Moot Court Competitions
The faculty organises external international and continental Moot court competitions.- The Faculty of Law's Centre for Human RightsCentre for Human RightsThe University of Pretoria Faculty of Law was established in 1908 and consists of five academic departments, six centers, a law clinic and it's own publisher the Pretoria University Law Press...
organises the annual African Human Rights Moot Court CompetitionAfrican Human Rights Moot Court CompetitionThe African Human Rights Moot Court Competition is an international moot court competition with a special focus on human rights in Africa. The competition is organised by the Centre for Human Rights, based at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law in South Africa. Each year, the competition is...
held annually at varying participating African universities. - While the Faculty, with the assistance of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsOffice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsThe Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is a United Nations agency that works to promote and protect the human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948...
, organises the World Human Rights Moot Court CompetitionWorld Human Rights Moot Court CompetitionThe World Human Rights Moot Court Competition is a moot court competition on international human rights law. In 2009 the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law's Centre for Human Rights, with the assistance of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, organised the...
held annually in Pretoria. - The faculty in conjunction with the University of VendaUniversity of VendaThe University of Venda is a South African university, located in Thohoyandou in Limpopo province.-History:It was established in 1982 to serve the inhabitants of the Venda bantustan, However, the student body at Univen never consisted of Venda students only, student from all over the Northern...
, University of the Western CapeUniversity of the Western CapeThe University of the Western Cape is a public university located in the Bellville suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It was established in 1960 by the South African government as a university for Coloured people only...
, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (South Africa), Department of Basic Education (South Africa)Department of Basic Education (South Africa)The Department of Basic Education is one of the departments of the South African government. It oversees primary and secondary education in South Africa. It was created in 2009 after the election of President Jacob Zuma, when the former Department of Education was divided.The political head of the...
and the Foundation for Human Rights organised and presented the first annual South African National Schools Moot Court CompetitionSouth African National Schools Moot Court CompetitionThe South African National Schools Moot Court Competition is an annual moot court competition established in 2011 aimed at creating greater consciousness and understanding in South African schools and communities about the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the values embodied by it...
in March 2011. - With the support of the WTO, the The Faculty of Law's Centre for Human RightsCentre for Human RightsThe University of Pretoria Faculty of Law was established in 1908 and consists of five academic departments, six centers, a law clinic and it's own publisher the Pretoria University Law Press...
and the University of the Western Cape arrange the Annual African Trade Moot.
Pretoria University Law Press
The Pretoria University Law Press (PULP), situated within the Faculty of Law, endeavours to publish and distribute advanced scholarly legal texts in English, AfrikaansAfrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
, French, Arabic and Portuguese. PULP publishes a series of collections of legal documents related to African public law and legal text books from other African countries and is a member of the Publishers' association of South Africa.
Alumni
Well known alumni include:- Johann van der WesthuizenJohann van der WesthuizenJohann van der Westhuizen is a judge in the Constitutional Court of South Africa. He was appointed to the bench in 2004 by Thabo Mbeki. He was previously a professor a the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law and the founding director of the Centre for Human Rights...
is a judge in the Constitutional CourtConstitutional Court of South AfricaThe Constitutional Court of South Africa was established in 1994 by South Africa's first democratic constitution: the Interim Constitution of 1993. In terms of the 1996 Constitution the Constitutional Court established in 1994 continues to hold office. The court began its first sessions in February...
of South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He was appointed to the bench in 2004 by Thabo MbekiThabo MbekiThabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
.He was previously a professor a the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law and the founding director of the Centre for Human Rights. He currently sits on the board of the Centre for Human Rights and the University of Pretoria Council.. - Johann KrieglerJohann KrieglerJohann Christiaan Kriegler is a former Constitutional Court and Appeal Court judge from South Africa.-Early life:Born in Pretoria, he matriculated at King Edward Vll School in Johannesburg in 1949. He then attended the South African Military Academy for two years. He studied law at the University...
is a former Constitutional CourtConstitutional Court of South AfricaThe Constitutional Court of South Africa was established in 1994 by South Africa's first democratic constitution: the Interim Constitution of 1993. In terms of the 1996 Constitution the Constitutional Court established in 1994 continues to hold office. The court began its first sessions in February...
and Appeal CourtSupreme Court of Appeal of South AfricaThe Supreme Court of Appeal is an appellate court in South Africa; it is the highest appeal court except in constitutional matters, which are ultimately decided by the Constitutional Court...
judge from South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He is currently a Board Member of the University of South Africa Law Faculty, Board Member of the University of Pretoria Centre for Human Rights. - Christof HeynsChristof HeynsChristof Heyns is a Professor of Human Rights Law, Co-director of the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa at the University of Pretoria and United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.-Education:...
- Former Director (1999-2006) of the Centre for Human Rights is a Professor of Human Rights Law, Co-director of the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa at the University of PretoriaUniversity of PretoriaThe University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
and United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. - Dire TladiDire TladiDire Tladi is a South African professor of international law. He has served as the Principal State Law Adviser for International Law for the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation and South Africa Mission to the United Nations....
- Principal State Law Adviser for International Law for the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation and South Africa Mission to the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. Member of theUnited Nations International Law Commission. - Judge Anna-maria de Vos
- Judge Frikkie Eloff (President of the Convocation)
- Judge Antonie Gildenhuys
- Judge Louis Harms (Supreme Court of Appeal)
- Prof Papa Maithufi: Academic, SA Law Commission
- Prof Jannie Otto
- Judge Piet Streicher (Supreme Court of Appeal)
- Judge Willie Seriti
- Prof Susan Scott
- Judge John Trengove
- Advocate Wim Trengove
- Advocate Kobus van Rooyen
- Prof Derek van der Merwe
- Judge Deon van Zyl
- Judge Leonora van den Heever
- Judge Willem van der Merwe
- Prof Marinus Wiechers
See also
- South African National Schools Moot Court CompetitionSouth African National Schools Moot Court CompetitionThe South African National Schools Moot Court Competition is an annual moot court competition established in 2011 aimed at creating greater consciousness and understanding in South African schools and communities about the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the values embodied by it...
- African Human Rights Moot Court CompetitionAfrican Human Rights Moot Court CompetitionThe African Human Rights Moot Court Competition is an international moot court competition with a special focus on human rights in Africa. The competition is organised by the Centre for Human Rights, based at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law in South Africa. Each year, the competition is...
- World Human Rights Moot Court CompetitionWorld Human Rights Moot Court CompetitionThe World Human Rights Moot Court Competition is a moot court competition on international human rights law. In 2009 the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law's Centre for Human Rights, with the assistance of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, organised the...
- African Human Rights Law JournalAfrican Human Rights Law JournalThe African Human Rights Law Journal publishes peer-reviewed contributions dealing with human rights related topics of relevance to Africa, Africans, and scholars of Africa. The journal appears twice a year, in March and October.- Indexing :...
- African Human Rights Law ReportsAfrican Human Rights Law ReportsThe African Human Rights Law Reports is an annual law journal published by JUTA Law on behalf of the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria. It contains legal decisions of relevance to human rights law in Africa...