First Motswana enrolled on the African Court Human Rights roster
Human Rights scholar and University of Botswana (UB) Law Lecturer, Dr Onthatile Moeti, has become the first Motswana to be enrolled as Legal Counsel on the Roster of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights.
The enrolment, announced on 11 May 2026, places Dr Moeti among a select pool of legal experts eligible to support proceedings before the continental court, which was established by the African Union (AU) to adjudicate cases involving human and peoples' rights violations and to advance the protection of fundamental freedoms across Africa.
Dr Moeti currently lectures on Human Rights Law, International Human Rights Law, Gender and the Law, and Constitutional Law at the University of Botswana. She is also a litigation attorney before the Botswana courts and serves on the Botswana National Human Rights Coordination Committee.
The announcement comes as the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights opened its 81st Ordinary Session on Monday, 1 June 2026, at its seat in Arusha, in Tanzania.
The session will run until 26 June 2026 during which time it will deliberate on several judicial matters pending before it as part of its mandate to protect human and peoples' rights across the continent.
Opening the session, President of the Court, Justice Blaise Tchikaya, welcomed the Judges and underscored the importance of the work ahead.
He noted that the court has remained actively engaged in implementing several initiatives related to its mandate, both around the continent and beyond, and has continued to strengthen its contribution to the protection of human and peoples' rights in Africa.
The President expressed hope that the deliberations during the session would reflect the critical needs of advancing justice on the continent.
'I trust that the work we undertake during this session will respond to the pressing demands of justice on our continent and contribute meaningfully to the realisation of the rights and freedoms guaranteed under the African Charter and other relevant human rights instruments, through careful consideration of the matters before it,' he said.
On 5 June 2026, the court is expected to deliver four judgments adopted during its 80th Ordinary Session. The Court is also continuing activities marking its 20th Anniversary under the year-long #AfricanCourtAt20 commemoration, which highlights two decades of advancing justice and human rights protection across Africa.
Dr Moeti's enrolment places Botswana among the countries with legal counsel on the African Court roster, strengthening the nation's engagement with continental human rights mechanisms.
As a litigation attorney who appears regularly before Botswana courts, Dr Moeti brings both local legal practice experience and academic expertise in human rights law to her role on the continental roster.
Her position on the Botswana National Human Rights Coordination Committee further positions her to contribute to the coordination of human rights protection efforts at national and continental levels.