Centro de Acción Jurídica / Das "Centre d'action juridique" / Pravni Centar / Центр юридической деятельности / المركز القانوني لترايال /

Our Objectives

ACT intends to use the existing human rights individual complaint mechanisms in order to restore victim’s rights and help them obtain justice and redress.

                                                                               Click here to view a 
                                                                               quick presentation brochure

Throughout this process, ACT attaches primordial importance to defend professionally the interests of the victims or their relatives. These will benefit from the extensive knowledge of expert lawyers on both the applicable law and the various existing systems and procedures. Thanks to this assistance the victims will increase their chances to see the violations committed against them being recognized, and, as a consequence, to obtain redress, learn the truth and have the satisfaction that justice has prevailed in their case.

Act is convinced that its action can exert pressure on States’ practices. Repeated condemnations by an international organ can in effect, over time, persuade a State to put an end to the practices it is accused of, if only by its concern to maintain international respectability. Also, the very act of filing complaints with human rights surveillance bodies, and the judgments handed down, can have a significant impact over how the guilty State conducts its affairs, for example, by bringing to worldwide attention a practice in contradiction to their commitments, by bringing pressure on the authorities to adopt concrete domestic measures or, finally, by dissuading them from obstructing the legitimate course of action of the victims or their representatives.

In more general terms, ACT intends to make a contribution to the reinforcement of the various human rights norms in the context of international crimes. First of all, the presentation of well prepared individual petitions before different bodies will help to develop a more harmonious and coherent international case law. Furthermore, ACT will attempt to persuade the institutions concerned to improve their shortcomings or clarify questions which have remained unresolved, notably by choosing to submit cases which raise points which are controversial in the current state of law.

An example of this is the responsibility of States concerning the actions of private military companies which have been ascribed a function normally reserved for the State in situations of occupied territories.

On a more practical level, ACT will be able to filter those requests which would not meet conditions of admissibility or which would not have a reasonable chance of success. Furthermore, its experts will provide the assurance that the complaints that ACT submits are comprehensible, complete and well structured.