Legal Reform

Justice Minister Calls for Overhaul of 30-Year-Old Ombudsman Bill

Justice minister, Yvonne Dausab, has called for amendments to the Ombudsman Bill, highlighting that it has remained unchanged for three decades. As reported by NewsOnOne's Selma Taapopi, Dausab emphasized that the bill’s outdated provisions and limited scope fail to ensure the office’s autonomy, adequate resources, and investigative powers, necessitating urgent reform. Catch last night's full bulletin on oneafrica.tv. Weeknights at 7 watch it on GoTv 84, DSTv 284 or stream […]

February 21, 2025 48

Africa

Namibia to Ratify SADC Prisoner Transfer Agreement

The Namibian government is set to ratify the SADC Protocol on Inter-State Transfer of Sentenced Offenders, allowing Namibians convicted abroad to serve their sentences in Namibia. The proposal, introduced by the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security, aims to strengthen regional cooperation on criminal justice. If passed, the agreement will facilitate prisoner exchanges between Namibia and other SADC member states, ensuring humanitarian considerations and access to […]

February 14, 2025 14

Namibia

Namibia’s sodomy laws have been overturned – what that means for LGBTIQ+ rights in the country

Bennian/Getty Images, CC BY By John Nakuta, University of Namibia The Namibian high court recently invalidated the country’s colonial-era “sodomy law”, which had made consensual sexual acts between men a criminal offence. The court declared that the common law offences of “sodomy” and “unnatural sexual offences” were unconstitutional. This ruling follows a separate decision in 2023 where Namibia’s supreme court ruled to recognise certain same-sex unions […]

July 8, 2024 48

Africa

Sierra Leone bans child marriage with new law

Sierra Leone has brought in a new law banning child marriage with much fanfare at a ceremony organised by First Lady Fatima Bio in the capital, Freetown. The BBC reports that invited guests, including first ladies from Namibia and Cape Verde, watched as her husband President Julius Maada Bio signed the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act into law. Anybody now involved in the marriage of a girl aged under the […]

July 3, 2024 14

World

India implements new criminal codes, replacing British era laws

India on Monday implemented three new criminal laws that replace archaic colonial-era legislation to significantly overhaul its criminal justice system. Sreoshi Mukherjee reports from New Delhi. India's opposition parties and lawyers have hit out at the new laws.

July 1, 2024 53

World

French parliamentarians secure abortion rights

French parliamentarians have voted to enshrine the right to access abortion services into the constitution. Ross Cullen reports that lawmakers and senators overwhelmingly approved the changes in a rare joint session of parliament.

March 6, 2024 23

Africa

Local activist opposes Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation

Ghana's parliament has approved a bill criminalising LGBTQ+ identity and the formation or funding of LGBTQ+ groups, punishable by up to three to five years in prison, respectively. The bill will come into effect only if President Nana Akufo-Addo signs it into law. Linda Baumann an activist for the rights of women, and the LGBTQI community says the bill should not be enacted into law.

February 29, 2024 44

Africa

Zimbabwe scraps death penalty

Zimbabwe’s cabinet has agreed to abolish the death penalty for murder offences almost two decades after its last execution. Bloomberg News reports that the cabinet on Tuesday approved the Memorandum on the Private Member’s Death Penalty Abolition Bill introduced to parliament last year, bringing an end to the death penalty introduced in the southern African nation by British colonial administrators.

February 8, 2024 22

South Africa

South African marriage ruling is a win for divorcees and surviving spouses: it guides the sharing of their assets

By Waheeda Amien, University of Cape Town South Africa’s Constitutional Court has fundamentally changed the country’s marriage law, making it fairer to people who are married “out of community of property” when their marriages end. In these marriages, the estates of spouses are kept separate. They do not combine what they own into a joint estate. The change applies to people who got married after 1 November […]

February 5, 2024 11