Samoa has proposed a suite of draft new laws that collectively undermine human rights and an independent judiciary by creating separate land courts, removing the right to appeal decisions to the Supreme Court and by making it easier to dismiss judicial officers by the Executive without cause or due process. These laws have been rushed through under a State of Emergency declared as a result of the Covid-19 global health pandemic. Samoa must protect and uphold the right to a fair trial, and the rights to an independent judiciary.
