International human rights group Madre is amplifying calls for the prosecution of apartheid-era crimes, insisting that those responsible face the possibility of jail time, Cape Town Etc reports.
The advocacy comes in light of a proposed United Nations treaty aimed at punishing crimes against humanity, with apartheid explicitly highlighted as a critical concern.
The announcement coincides with South Africa’s recent reopening of significant inquests, including investigations into the deaths of freedom fighter Chief Albert Luthuli and the Cradock Four figures believed to have been targeted and killed by apartheid operatives.
‘While the world recognized apartheid as a crime against humanity decades ago, there is still a struggle for accountability, discussions at the U.N. on the draft crimes against humanity treaty must underscore how damaging apartheid is and why victims need recognition and redress if societies are to heal,’ emphasised Lisa Davis, a law professor and participant at the recent conference.
The urgency of these discussions is underscored by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which issued a resolution in November 2023 urging states to ‘not aid and abet … crimes against humanity, including apartheid’ as they relate to the Palestinian struggle for self-determination. Wendy Isaack, a representative of Madre, noted this correlation between past atrocities and the current plight of victims.
Isaack remarked, ‘These efforts also include South Africa’s argument before the International Court of Justice in February 2024 that Israel is committing the crime of apartheid in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.’
Expounding on the broader implications of this call for justice, Yifat Susskind, Executive Director of Madre, stated, ‘Justice calls for us to acknowledge apartheid conditions wherever they occur. It also calls for recognising the different forms of discrimination those conditions can be based on, including for example, gender discrimination, which underlies institutionalised oppression in Afghanistan.’
South Africa, having emerged from its own dark period under apartheid, is urged to take a leadership role in these discussions.
Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Rights, Zaid Kimmie, stated that ‘The South African government has a leadership role to play in ensuring that the apartheid provision in the draft treaty on crimes against humanity accounts for all its victims.’
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Picture: Gideon Mendel / Getty Images
