The American State’s response to the mass discontent in the aftermath of the non-indictment of murderer of Michael Brown demonstrates the heavy-handed use of violence to deny the people the human rights to peacefully assemble and freedom of association. This is consistent with the historical uses of violence to control and suppress opposition.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary the UN International Tribunal for Rwanda, based in the Tanzanian city of Arusha, has created a documentary, narrated by an American actor, to trumpet its achievements. But to one critic, the ICTR only succeeded in bolstering the Kagame regime through victor’s justice.

For transitional justice to be relevant and effective it must be informed by local understandings of justice. The form of justice should be informed by local priorities as identified by victims and survivors.

Ethiopia’s already limited space for civil society and human rights defenders is undergoing further contraction, warn CIVICUS, The East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project, and the Ethiopia Human Rights Project (EHRP).

The Burkinabe uprising against the Compaore dictatorship was apeople-driven and led by civil society and opposition political parties. The military cannot and should not be allowed to seize power in a context in which they played no role.