ECOWAS court urges journalists to pressure govts on judgment compliance

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The President of the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States, Justice Ricardo Gonçalves, has urged journalists across member states to use their platforms to push governments to comply with judgments of the regional court.

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Represented by the Vice President of the Court, Justice Sengu Koroma, Goncalves made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of a three-day training for the Network of ECOWAS Member States’ Journalists Covering the Community Court of Justice.

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He said journalists had an important role to play in promoting awareness of the court’s decisions and ensuring that member states fulfilled their treaty obligations.

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“Let me also urge you to use your media platforms to engage Member States on the need to faithfully implement the decisions of the Court in accordance with their treaty obligations,” he said.

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According to him, the responsibility for enforcing the court’s judgments rests with member states, but compliance was currently below expectation.

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“The judgement enforcement mechanism of the Court gives the Member States the responsibility of enforcing the judgments of the Court, which at the moment is below expectation,” he stated.

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The ECOWAS Court President also stressed the importance of accurate and responsible reporting of judicial proceedings, saying inadequate understanding of the court’s mandate and processes had contributed to gaps in media coverage.

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He said the Community Court of Justice was the principal judicial organ of ECOWAS, with the responsibility of interpreting and applying ECOWAS legal instruments, promoting the rule of law and safeguarding human rights in the region.

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He said journalists covering the court must understand its mandate, jurisdiction, composition, structure, competence, practice and procedure to enable them report its proceedings accurately.

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“Journalists occupy an important position in communicating the work of courts to the public. Accurate and responsible reporting of judicial proceedings enables citizens to better understand the mandate of judicial institutions, their decisions and the implications of those decisions for individuals, Member States and the region,” he said.

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He urged journalists to distinguish between submissions made by parties in a case and the findings and decisions of the court.

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“It is of paramount importance that journalists in reporting the decisions of the Court must avoid bias, sensationalism, misinformation and disinformation, by reporting accurately the findings, reasoning and decisions of the Court,” he said.

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He said the three-day training, which brought together journalists from ECOWAS member states, would provide participants with opportunities to engage with resource persons from the court’s Registry and Research Departments, as well as experts in journalism and judicial reporting.

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The Head of Public Information and External Relations of the Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, Ms Elohor Ovadje, said the training was expected to strengthen journalists’ knowledge of the court’s processes and improve the quality and accuracy of reports on its proceedings.

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She said the programme was also designed to promote fairness and objectivity in media coverage of the court and enhance public awareness of its mandate, jurisdiction and jurisprudence.

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Among the expected outcomes of the training, Ovadje said, was an enhanced media contribution to advocacy for compliance with the court’s decisions.

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She added that the programme was expected to facilitate the establishment of a network of journalists specialising in judicial reporting, while strengthening trust and cooperation between the court and the media.

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Ovadje said the training would also seek to increase public interest in the activities of the ECOWAS Court.

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She expressed appreciation to the management of the court for approving the training, adding that the organisers hoped the expected outcomes would be achieved.

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“We trust that the participants will benefit from the training and that the training will deepen the relationship between the ECCJ and the network of journalists that cover the activities of the Court,” she said.

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Ovadje added, “We also hope that the practical experience to be gained at this training would improve the quality of reportage on the Court.”

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