State Responsibility towards Civil and Political Rights in Africa: A Reflection of the Right to Liberty and Security of Persons in Zimbabwe under International Law
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2521-2583/16344Keywords:
State responsibility, civil and political rights, right to liberty, security, international lawAbstract
The right to liberty and security of persons has long been observed from the perspective of people with disability, asylum seekers and refugees. State responsibility for upholding the right to liberty and advancing civil and political rights has not been fully explored. Additionally, no comparison has been made regarding how this responsibility is fulfilled among the specific countries studied. This paper examines the right to liberty in Zimbabwe compared to South Africa and Kenya. Therefore, a comparative justification of implementing best human practices from the South African experience and reflection on the adverse legislative framework from the Zimbabwean and Kenyan perspectives will be analysed. Furthermore, the paper aims to focus on the state’s role concerning the right to liberty from an African perspective while providing a context for some challenges encountered in fulfilling this role. The paper aims to contribute to the scholarship on the right to liberty and state responsibility in Africa.
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