Frans Viljoen

Articles by: Frans Viljoen

Armed South African police officers of the JMPD with riot shields.

South Africa needs to address the lingering legacy of its police using excessive force

12th May 2021

Professor Frans Viljoen, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria

OPINION: The death earlier this year of Mthokozisi Ntumba, shot by police as he walked past a student protest, has highlighted South Africa’s painful history of police using excessive force against protesters; Frans Viljoen, Professor of International Human Rights Law, believes a recently published report on public order policing, and a proposed amendment to the South African Police Act, could be a catalyst for change.

Contact

Frans Viljoen
Director and Professor of International Human Rights Law, Centre for Human Rights , University of Pretoria
Email:
[email protected]

Profile
My research area is international human rights law, with a focus on the African regional human rights system. I have published widely on international human rights law, including International human rights law in Africa (Oxford University Press, 2012). I am editor-in-chief of the African Human Rights Law Journal and the Global Campus Human Rights Journal, and have been involved with advocacy campaigns and litigation before the African Union human rights bodies.