Media Rights Agenda and Others v Nigeria (2000) AHRLR 200 (ACHPR 1998)

The case concerned legal restrictions on the Nigerian press following a coup d’état and the annulment of elections. The decision is important as the African Commission on Human & Peoples' Rights made it clear that international obligations took precedence over domestic law and warned against undermining fundamental rights. The Commission expressed the view that any restrictions on rights must be proportionate, reasonable and evidence-based, and should not be such that they render the right illusory. It also warned against using the law to target specific individuals or groups.