Families of victims who had been killed by the Peruvian army took a case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights complaining that an amnesty law, that prevented investigations of the killings, violated the right to life. The IACtHR held that the right to life required the Peruvian government to investigate killings by the state […]
Resource Bank
Two civil society organisations, the IHRDA and WARDC, brought a case to the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice on behalf of Mary Sunday. Mary Sunday was a Nigerian woman who was subjected to domestic violence by her husband, a policeman. She complained to local law enforcement authorities in Nigeria but they were unwilling to investigate […]
Resource Bank
A Chinese environmental protection NGO was granted standing to bring a claim against a shipping company. They claimed the company was creating pollution during the process of unloading, washing and transporting iron ore. The case was resolved through mediation and the defendant was required to correct its environmental violations. This was the first public interest […]
Resource Bank
In Bolivia and Ecuador, the constitution grants the environment (“Pachamama”) rights under Bolivian and Ecuadorian law. Similarly, national laws in New Zealand give similar rights to specific rivers and national parks. Whereas in the Philippines, “future generations” have been recognised as having the right to a healthy environment.
Resource Bank
Mexico’s General Law of Administrative Responsibility establishes a legal framework that public servants must follow. This applies to all public officials. It contains administrative penalties for those public officials that are involved in corrupt activities such as money laundering, embezzlement and others. Administrative cases can be brought against public officials suspected of committing such offences. The expected […]
Resource Bank
The Kenyan Constitution contains a bill of rights which protects rights such as the right to life, freedom from slavery, the right to property, and the right to healthy environment. These rights can be enforced in Kenyan national courts.
Resource Bank
Despite occurring over 30 years ago, legal actions are still being pursued against Union Carbide for toxic gas leaks in India caused by their negligence. While some compensation has been awarded, this has been a long and exhausting process for victims.
Resource Bank
After hearing a claim brought by a Chilean environmental organisation, the Inter-American Court on Human Rights ruled the right to access information was itself a human right which the State was obligated to provide access to information in all but exceptional cases. This paved the way for greater transparency across the Americas.
Resource Bank
Facing restrictions on free speech and the imprisonment of government critics, the Ugandan Supreme Court upheld the constitutional right to freedom of expression. The court set out wide protections for the right to freedom of expression, preventing government from making further restrictions in the future, and ordered them to stop criminal prosecutions of political speech.
Resource Bank
In Nepal, following a successful case brought by victims’ families, the Supreme Court ordered the government to change its policy of refusing to investigate past practices of enforced disappearances and provide remedies to victims. It also ordered the government to establish a truth commission to investigate instances of enforced disappearance. This created legal reform which […]
Resource Bank
Action4Justice is a group of NGO’s united to support public interest litigation worldwide as a means to advance social justice.
Learn more
We seek partnerships with organizations and communities worldwide who support our goals. Join our network, or volunteer.
Learn more
