Africa: Nomination process slammed for lack of transparency

The Coalition for an Effective African Court on Human and People's Rights, an NGO based in South Africa, criticized the process of nominating judges to the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights during the ongoing African Union summit in Khartoum, Sudan. The coalition said that the nomination process lacked transparency and that several of the judicial candidates did not have adequate experience in human rights. The coalition argues that the AU commission should be responsible for nominating judges to the court, rather than the member states. The protocol for establishing the court came into effect last January and African leaders are expected to appoint judges to the court immediately, according to Paper Chase, a legal news service.