Southern Sudan Human Rights Commission Act, 2009.

This Act, comprising 55 Article divided into VIII Chapters, aims to establish and manage an independent commission to monitor the application and enforcement of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan, and ratified international and regional human rights instruments. The Commission, established under Article 6, is called the Southern Sudan Human Rights Commission shall be independent and impartial and shall have the following main functions (i) monitoring the application and enforcement of human rights provisions in the Constitution; (ii) investigating human rights violations based on complaints or its own initiative; (iii) conducting visits to detention facilities to assess inmate conditions and make recommendations; (iv) establishing ongoing research, education, and information programs to promote human rights and about their civic responsibilities and rights; (v) recommending effective measures to promote human rights to the legislative assembly; (vi) raising awareness of the Constitution as the foundational law for human rights; (vii) encouraging the public to defend the Constitution and prevent human rights abuses; (viii) monitoring government compliance with international and regional human rights treaties, as well as offering opinions and advice to government bodies on human rights issues. The Commission shall submit its annual reports to the President and the Assembly on the state of human rights and freedoms in Southern Sudan.
Chapter III outlines the Commission's governance structure, while Chapter V addresses its management. Chapter VI grants the Commission investigative authority over allegations, facts, conditions, practices, or matters it deems necessary to determine human rights violations. Whenever the Commission reasonably suspects a human rights violation, whether initiated externally or internally, it must create an Investigation Committee, headed by a Commissioner and staff members possessing the requisite expertise, to investigate the issue (art. 29). The Act also covers procedural aspects of the Commission's functions and responsibilities, including offenses and penalties, as discussed in Article 50.