Training Manual on litigation of freedom of expression in East Africa

This module is designed to assist new litigants at the regional level in East Africa on how to litigate cases on freedom of expression and the rights of the media. It therefore concentrates on setting out the processes and procedures for filing and arguing human rights cases before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the East African Court of Justice.

The manual clarifies the distinct role and functioning of domestic, regional and international systems, highlighting key principles in the functioning of each specific regional forum. It then considers the functioning of the three regional forums, providing concrete examples of the process to be undertaken to file a complaint before each of them. Details are provided regarding the admissibility of complaints, the jurisdiction of each regional forum, the demand for exhaustion of domestic remedies and the obligation to file the complaint within a reasonable period.