Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law established The Southern Africa Project in 1967 in response to requests for assistance in cases involving human rights in South Africa and Namibia. These early contacts with the anti-apartheid movement in southern Africa reinforced the perception that the domestic struggle for civil rights was inextricably linked to the struggle for human rights in other parts of the world. The Southern Africa Project soon became a major and important part of the Lawyer’s Committee.
In the 20+ years of its existence, the Project helped thousands of victims of apartheid and funded numerous landmark decisions that served as a judicial check on some of the abuses of apartheid. In essence, the Projects sought:
In the 20+ years of its existence, the Project helped thousands of victims of apartheid and funded numerous landmark decisions that served as a judicial check on some of the abuses of apartheid. In essence, the Projects sought:
- To ensure that defendants in political trials in South Africa and Namibia received the necessary resources for their defense and a competent attorney of their own choice;
- To initiate or intervene through legal proceedings in this country to deter actions that were supportive of South Africa’s policy of apartheid, when such actions violate U.S. Law; and
- To serve as a resource for those concerned with the erosion of the rule of law in South Africa and that government’s denial of basic human rights.