- Catherine Samba-Panza (Central African Republic), President of the Central African Republic
- Dapo Akande (Nigeria), Professor of Public International Law, University of Oxford
- Tiyanjana Maluwa (Malawi), H. Laddie Montague Chair in Law, Pennsylvania State University School of Law; Former Associate Dean for International Affairs, School of Law & Director, School of International Affairs
“I feel honoured to be able to share the singular experience of my country, the Central African Republic, where the struggle against impunity, for transitional justice and national reconciliation has been at the heart of my hopes and aspirations in the context of grave human rights violations,” said Samba-Panza upon joining the group. “As a member of the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability, I shall make my modest contribution by lending my voice to the plea for respect for human rights, reinforcement of population-protection mechanisms, and more fruitful co-operation between the States Parties to the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court as a means of preventing mass crimes.”
“I accepted the invitation to join the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability because I have been involved with issues of human rights and international criminal justice in Africa for over two decades, and I believe that the group, composed as it is of highly respected independent experts serving in their personal capacities, can contribute usefully to the continuing dialogue on these issues,” said Maluwa.
“I am delighted to be asked to join the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability because one of the critical questions for Africa at this point in time is how we meet the twin objectives of bringing conflicts to an end and providing accountability for wrongdoing,” said Akande. “In achieving these objectives it will be important for various communities within and outside Africa to have an informed and balanced discussion and debate about these challenges and about the options for the future. It is my hope that the calibre of the people on the group, and the intellectual influence that it can exercise, will help to advance the discussions on these issues.”
“The decision of Her Excellency, Catherine Samba-Panza, the interim President of Central Africa Republic to join the Africa Group on Justice and Accountability is inspiring and timely,” said fellow AGJA member Femi Falana, a Nigerian human rights activist and lawyer. “It will certainly enhance the actualisation of the objectives of the AGJA.”
“The Group warmly welcomes the three new members,” said fellow Africa Group for Justice and Accountability member Richard Goldstone, the South African former Chief Prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. “We are glad to have Dapo Akande, Tiyanjana Maluwa and Catherine Samba-Panza join our group. Their expertise will substantially enhance our discussions and importantly widen African representation.”
The Africa Group for Justice and Accountability supports efforts to strengthen justice and accountability measures in Africa through domestic and regional capacity building, advice and outreach, and enhancing cooperation between Africa and the International Criminal Court. It was launched on the sidelines of the International Criminal Court Assembly of States Parties on 23 November 2015 in The Hague, and is holding the first of its bi-annual symposia events at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, from 22-24 March 2016.
The members of the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability are:
- Dapo Akande (Nigeria) Professor of Public International Law, University of Oxford
- Femi Falana (Nigeria) Human rights activist and lawyer
- Hassan Bubacar Jallow (Gambia) Former Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
- Richard Goldstone (South Africa) Former Chief Prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia
- Tiyanjana Maluwa (Malawi) H. Laddie Montague Chair in Law, Pennsylvania State University School of Law; Former Associate Dean for International Affairs, School of Law & Director, School of International Affairs
- Athaliah Molokomme (Botswana) Attorney General of Botswana
- Betty Kaari Murungi (Kenya) Independent Consultant on Human Rights and Transitional Justice
- Mohamed Chande Othman (Tanzania) Chief Justice of Tanzania
- Navi Pillay (South Africa) Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
- Catherine Samba-Panza (Central African Republic) Former President of the Central African Republic
- Fatiha Serour (Algeria) Director of Serour Associates for Inclusion and Equity
- Abdul Tejan-Cole (Sierra Leone) Executive Director of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa
