South Africa: The criminal justice system and the prosecution of human rights: the role of the prosecution service

Index Number: AFR 53/001/1998
Date Published: 11 February 1998
Categories: Africa, South Africa

The first section of this document summarizes some of the issues behind the legislative proposals to reform the prosecution servicein South Africa through the establishment of a national prosecuting authority. The second section contains AI's submission sent to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice in October 1997. This submission arose out of the crisis in KwaZulu Natal over prosecution decisions taken in political violence cases (e.g. Mbambo, Light Machine Gun, Malan) and it draws attention to the United Nations guidelines on the impartiality and effectiveness of prosecutors in criminal proceedings.