Luanda - Angola may become one of the first African Union (AU) Member States to ratify the Amendments to the Protocol on the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights.
For this purpose, the specialised commissions of the National Assembly (AN) approved Tuesday, in general terms, the joint opinion report and the draft Resolution on such a Protocol.
The document will be approved in plenary on 27 of this month.
The Protocol on Amendments to the Protocol on the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights was adopted by the 20th Session of the Assembly of the African Union, held on 27 June 2014 in Malabo (Equatorial Guinea).
It is part of the objectives and principles set out in the Constitutive Act of the African Union, adopted in Lomé, Togo, on 11 July 2000, including the commitment to resolve conflicts through peaceful means.
So far, no country has ratified it, and Angola is expected to be the first AU Member State to ratify it, announcing its participation in the organs of the African Union and in particular in the process of establishing this Court.
The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, as well as other human rights instruments, contribute to the endeavour to promote peace, security and stability on the African continent and to protect human and peoples' rights, with this reference, the present Protocol was adopted.
According to the reasoning report, the Republic of Angola by approving and ratifying this legal instrument "will benefit from a better organisation of the Court for the promotion of peace, good governance, respect for human rights and democratic principles".
The Protocol aims to adopt a better organisation of the Court, with an adequate jurisdiction, to broadly define the International Criminal Law Section of the Court, including in its international criminal jurisdiction in crimes of genocide, against humanity, war crimes, anti-constitutional change of government, piracy, terrorism, corruption, money laundering, among others.
It is structured in a preamble and dispositive part, containing 3 (three) chapters and 12 (twelve) articles and an annex on the Statute of the African Court of Justice, Human and Peoples' Rights. DC/AL/ADR/DAN/NIC
