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    ABA ROLI Supports the Judiciary of Zanzibar with its First Judicial Retreat and Outreach to Universities in Zanzibar

    Dec 13, 2022

    2 min read

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    ABA ROLI Supports the Judiciary of Zanzibar with its First Judicial Retreat and Outreach to Universities in Zanzibar

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    In conjunction with the Tanzanian Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC), ABA ROLI supported the Judiciary of Zanzibar’s first judicial retreat between November 26-27, 2022.  Attended by 30 judges and magistrates from the island, the retreat session topics included freedom of expression, children’s rights, and due process rights. The meetings were led by national and regional subject matter experts, including a retired judge of the High Court, Justice Makaramba, a High Court Judge of Dodoma, Hon. Justice Mambi, and from Uganda, Ms. Catherine Anite, a member of the Amal Clooney High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom.

    These activities in Zanzibar fall within ABA ROLI’s regional work in East Africa, focused on the protection and promotion of Freedom of Expression (FOE)—a program that spans both Uganda and Tanzania. Launched in 2019, the project has employed several strategies to meet the overall project goals, including the use of strategic litigation to challenge problematic laws constraining civic space; the provision of urgent legal assistance to human rights defenders; documentation and advocacy to promote enhanced protection of FOE; sensitization and outreach efforts using multi-media avenues and public engagements; as well as working with universities/law schools in both countries to discuss emerging issues on FOE in the region. ABA ROLI has been implementing these activities in partnership with a consortium of local, regional and international partners including: the Network of Public Interest Lawyers; the East African Network of University Clinics; Freedom of Expression Hub; Tanzanian Human Rights Defenders Coalition; MISA-Tanzania; Pan-African Lawyers Union and the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law.

    November 2022

    November 2022

    Above from left to right: Salum Hassan, Assistant Registrar for the High Court of Zanzibar; Valentina Andrew Katema, Registrar of the High Court of Zanzibar; Ismene Zarifis, Senior Technical Advisor, ABA ROLI; Hon. Khamis Ramadhan Abdalla, Chief Justice of Zanzibar; Violah Ajok, Program Manager for East Africa, ABA ROLI; and the Personal Assistant to the Chief Justice of Zanzibar. This was taken when the ABA ROLI team made a courtesy visit to the High Court of Zanzibar.

    The keynote address was given by the Chief Justice of Zanzibar, who expressed interest in receiving ongoing training and technical assistance from ABA ROLI and its partners to further modernize the court system of Zanzibar. After the retreat, the ABA ROLI team made a courtesy visit to the High Court of Zanzibar to visit the facilities and discuss the Judiciary’s plans going forward—including the need for court modernization and infrastructure development, as well as training for magistrates, judges and court clerks—all of which will be shared in the forthcoming strategic plan for the Zanzibar Judiciary for 2023-2027.

    ABA ROLI and the THRDC organized a public lecture following the judicial retreat, attracting over 100 students from the State University of Zanzibar, who are either pusuing a degree in mass communications or in law. The lecture focused on the role of freedom of expression in university settings, and featured speakers from the media. The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Ali, Dean, School of Law, University of Zanzibar, on the topic of “The role of academic institutions in promoting civic empowerment.”