Government urged to sign, ratify Malabo Protocol 

Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) has called on the Malawi government to sign and ratify the Malabo Protocol saying it will benefit the country in addressing some crimes. 

Speaking this morning at a stakeholders meeting in Lilongwe aimed at creating awareness but also drawing support towards the signing of the Protocol and its ratification, CHRR executive director Michael Kaiyatsa said Malawi wondered why the country has not yet signed the protocol which he says is a crucial legal instrument that would help address some crimes affecting the country. 

The Protocol extends the jurisdiction of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights (ACJHR) to crimes under international law and transnational crimes. 

If the Malabo Protocol comes into force, the ACJHR will have jurisdiction to try 14 different crimes which are genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, the crime of unconstitutional change of government, piracy, terrorism, 

mercenarism, corruption, money laundering, trafficking in persons, trafficking in drugs, trafficking in hazardous wastes, illicit exploitation of natural resources and the crime of aggression.

In June 2014, the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, adopted the Protocol on Amendments to the Protocol on the Statute of the African Court 

of Justice and Human Rights (Malabo Protocol) and called on AU member states to sign and ratify it.

So far 15 countries have signed but non has ratified it. The court will only be operational after at least 15 countries have ratified it.