cc Drawing upon the parallels behind Cambodia’s experience of the trial of members of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, Yash Ghai considers some of the lessons Kenya could learn in seeking justice around its post-election crisis. Following the collapse of the Khmer Rouge, the international community – primarily through the UN – played a central role in revitalising Cambodia’s economy and monitoring human rights. With corruption often entrenched and political players quick to interfere for their own benefit, Ghai discusses the inherent difficulty of ensuring the involvement of domestic legal figures without creating space for political self-interest.

Francio Guadeloupe explores the meaning of activism by reflecting upon personal encounters of human rights abuses in Brazil, South Africa, and the Netherlands. Narratives of discrimination and brutality lead Guadeloupe to believe that a clear split exists between activists in the West and the non-West, a split which we must work towards eliminating. Guadeloupe suggests that an activist recognises the equality of humanity; whether one demands the right to be perceived as human for oneself or for others, an activist, in so doing, demands human rights for all.

cc With Madagascar still in the throes of a political crisis, Zo Randriamaro discusses the broader background to the conflict outside of the media’s focus on the contest for power between President Marc Ravalomanana and Mayor of Antananarivo Andry Rajoelina. With presidential power becoming progressively more dictatorial in recent years, Randriamaro points to the heightened discontent of both the weakened opposition party and the country’s civil society groups in the face of neoliberal policies and growing social inequality. Underlining the key historic divide between urban and rural areas, Randriamaro argues that the current crisis represents a key opportunity to re-direct Madagascar onto a path towards democracy and improved human rights.