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The Lagos Conference was organised by the International
Commission of Jurists in Lagos, Nigeria during January 1961.
The meeting consisted of 194 judges, practising lawyers and
teachers of law from twenty-three African nations as well as
nine countries of other continents; plus both British-trained
and French-trained lawyers. The main aim of the conference was
to discuss the rule of law from an African perspective, with
special emphasis being put on issues of: human rights in relation
to governmental security, human rights in relation to aspects
of criminal and administrative law, and the responsibility of
the judiciary and of the bar for the protection of the rights
of the individual in society. The conference resulted in the
adoption of a resolution, known as the
Law of Lagos, which declared: |
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"In
order to give full effect to the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights of 1948, this conference invites the African governments
to study the possibility of adopting an African Convention of
Human Rights in such a manner that the conclusions of this conference
will be safe-guarded by the creation of a court of appropriate
jurisdiction and that recourse thereto be made available for
all persons under the jurisdiction of the signatory states." |
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