Contentious Jurisdiction of the Court

Under Article 3 of the Protocol, the Court has jurisdiction to deal with all cases and disputes submitted to it regarding the interpretation and   application of the Charter, the Protocol and any other relevant human rights instrument ratified by the concerned States.

The Court can only deal with cases submitted against Countries that have ratified the Protocol and deposited the Article 34(6) Declaration in cases involving individuals and Non-Governmental Organisations. The case must involve allegations of human rights and those alleged violations must have taken place in the State concerned after it ratified the Protocol, unless the alleged violations are on-going.

Advisory Jurisdiction of the Court

Under Article 4 of the Protocol, the Court may, at the request of a Member State of the African Union, any of the organs of the African Union, or any African organization recognized by the African Union, provide an opinion on any legal matter relating to the Charter or any other relevant human rights instruments, provided that the subject matter of the opinion is not related to a matter being examined by the Commission.