International Law Review

International Law Review

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on the Inter-State Transfer of Sentenced Offenders (2019): Highlighting Potential Contentious Human Rights Issues

Document Type : academic

Author
Jamil Mujuzi
Faculty of Law, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
10.22066/cilamag.2025.2047035.2653
Abstract
Many SADC countries host foreign offenders in their prisons. One of the measures adopted by these countries to deal with this challenge is to transfer the foreign offenders to serve part(s) of their sentences in their respective countries. This has been achieved through enacting domestic legislation on the transfer of offenders and signing bilateral and, to a small extent, multilateral prisoner transfer agreements. In August 2019, the “SADC Protocol on the Inter-State Transfer of Sentenced Offenders” (the Protocol) was adopted. The Preamble to the Protocol states that the underlying reason for the transfer is to “contribute towards the social reintegration” of the transferred offenders. As of the time of writing this article, the Protocol had not yet come into force. In this article, the author highlights some of the human rights issues that are likely to be contentious in the implementation or enforcement of the Protocol, especially in the light of the prisoner transfer legislation in different SADC countries. These issues are: grounds for transfer of foreign offenders (under this sub-theme, the author discusses the persons eligible for transfer, application for transfer and consent to transfer); enforcement of the sentence; pardon, amnesty, commutation of sentences and parole; cost of transfer; monitoring the enforcement of the sentence; access to information by the prisoner before the transfer and after the transfer.
Keywords
SADC
Southern African Development Community
Protocol on the Inter-State Transfer of Sentenced Offenders
Human Rights
Africa
Consent
Continued Enforcement
Conversion

Subjects

- Books
1.        Fanny De Weck, Non-Refoulement Under the European Convention on Human Rights and the UN Convention Against Torture: The Assessment of Individual Complaints by the European Court of Human Rights Under Article 3 ECHR and the United Nations Committee Against Torture Under Article 3 CAT (Brill, 2016).
2.        Guy S. Goodwin-Gill and Jane McAdam, The Refugee in International Law (Oxford University Press, 2007).
 
- Journal articles
1.        Jamil Ddamulira Mujuzi “Analysing the Agreements (Treaties) on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (Offenders/Prisoners) between the United Kingdom and Asian, African and Latin American Countries” 2012 20(4) European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice 377.
2.        Jamil Ddamulira Mujuzi “The Right to Enter One’s Own Country: The Conflict between the Jurisprudence of the Human Rights Committee and the Travaux Préparatoires of Article 12(4) of the ICCPR” (2021) 10 International Human Rights Law Review 75.
3.        Jamil Ddamulira Mujuzi, Remission of sentences and the constitutionality of life imprisonment in Seychelles (2024) 15(1) Jurnal HAM 65 – 86.
 
- Cases
1.        Andries v Attorney General (Appeal 23 of 2015) [2017] ZMSC 97 (11 September 2017).
2.        Bouchereau & Others v Supt of Prisons & Others [2015] SCCA 3 (Court of Appeal of Seychelles).
3.        Buijen v Germany (Application no. 27804/05) (1 April 2010).
4.        Commissioner General of His Majesty's Correctional Services and Another v Magongo [2023] SZSC 21 (Supreme Court of Eswatini).
5.        Douglas, Re [2020] EWHC 3018 (QB).
6.        Gerber v Government of the Republic of South Africa and Others (51128/09) [2010] ZAGPPHC 240 (9 December 2010).
7.        Makuchyan and Minasyan v Azerbaijan and Hungary (Application no. 17247/13)(2020-05-26).
8.        Mwikabe Samo Mungine v Mzumbe University and Another [2024] TZHC 7296 (High Court of Tanzania).
9.        Neville, R (On the Application of) v Secretary of State for Justice [2021] EWHC 957 (Admin).
10.     Professional Logistics International (Pty) Ltd v The Minister of Trade and Industry [2021] LSHC 2 (High Court of Lesotho).
11.     R v Judicial Service Commission & Another [2019] MWHC 34 (High Court of Malawi).
12.     Smith v Germany (Application no. 27801/05)(1 April 2010).
13.     Transworld Cargo (Pty) Ltd v Air Namibia (Pty) Ltd and Others [2014] NASC 11 (Supreme Court of Namibia).
14.     Warsame v Canada (Comm. 1959/2010, No. CCPR/C/102/D/1959/2010, A/66/40) Vol. II, Part 1 (2011), Annex VI at 601 (HRC, Jul. 21, 2011).
15.     William Harrington v Attorney General [2019] ZMSC 14 (Supreme Court of Zambia).
16.     XHL v. Netherlands, (Comm. 1564/2007, No. CCPR/C/102/D/1564/2007, A/66/40), Vol. II, Part 1 (2011), Annex VI at 271 (HRC, Jul. 22, 2011).
17.     ZIMSEC v Mukomeka & Another [2020] ZWSC 10 (Supreme Court of Zimbabwe).
 
- Legislation
1.        Transfer of Convicted Offenders Ac, No. 10 of 2001 (Swaziland)
2.        Transfer of Convicted Offenders Act, 2005 (Namibia)
3.        Transfer of Convicted Persons Act, No. 26 of 1998 (Zambia)
4.        Transfer of Offenders Act, No. 14 of 1990 (Zimbabwe)
5.        Transfer of Prisoners Act, Act 10 of 2001 (Mauritius)
6.        Transfer of Prisoners Act, No. 10 of 2004 (Tanzania)
 
- Constitutions
1.        Constitution of Tanzania (1977).
2.        Constitution of Angola (2010).
3.        Constitution of Mauritius (1968).
4.        Constitution of Namibia (1991).
5.        Constitution of Seychelles (1993).
6.        Constitution of South Africa (1996).
7.        Constitution of Swaziland (2005).
8.        Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Congo (2005).
9.        Constitution of Zambia (1991).
10.     Constitution of Zimbabwe (2013).
 
- Treaties
1.        African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (1981).
2.        International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ((16 December 1966, United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 999, p. 171).
3.        Protocol on Peace and Security (2013).
4.        Treaty of the South African Development Community (1992).
5.        Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969), United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1155, p. 331.
 
- Resolutions and explanatory reports
1.        United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) General Assembly resolution 70/175, annex, adopted on 17 December 2015.
2.        Resolution 2022 (2014) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the Measures to prevent abusive use of the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (ETS No. 112).
3.        Explanatory Report to the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (1983).
 
- Framework decisions and General Comments
1.        Council Framework Decision 2008/909/JHA of 27 November 2008 on the application of the principle of mutual recognition to judgments in criminal matters imposing custodial sentences or measures involving deprivation of liberty for the purpose of their enforcement in the European Union
2.        Council Framework Decision 2008/947/JHA of 27 November 2008 on the application of the principle of mutual recognition to judgments and probation decisions with a view to the supervision of probation measures and alternative sanctions
3.        General Comment 27, Freedom of movement (Art.12), U.N. Doc CCPR/ C/21/Rev.1/Add.9 (1999).

  • Receive Date 28 November 2024
  • Revise Date 02 January 2025
  • Accept Date 22 January 2025