A South African lawyer, human rights activist, and activist in defending the issues of marginalized people and their social and economic rights. She was known for her sympathy with the Palestinian cause and her activity in rejecting settlements and in activities rejecting the practices of the Israeli occupation in general. She was born in 1972, and some accounts say that she is of Yemeni origins.
Her fame spread and filled the world when she appeared on television on January 11, 2024, representing South Africa as part of a legal team in a plea during the hearings before the International Court of Justice to convict Israel on charges of committing genocide against the Palestinians and using internationally prohibited weapons in its war on Gaza, which began In early October 2023.
Birth and educational path
Adila Hashim was born on January 14, 1972 in Durban, eastern South Africa. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Natal in 1995, becoming a member of the Bar Association in her country in 1996 and then a member of the Johannesburg Bar Association in 2003.
She obtained a Master of Laws degree from Drew University in New Jersey, USA, in 1999, and a Master of Laws degree from Saint Louis University, also in Missouri, USA, and then a PhD from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana USA, in 2006.
On January 13, Al-Mashhad Al-Yemeni newspaper published, quoting Dr. Abdul Hakim Al-Mashriqi, that Adila Hashem goes back to Yemeni origins and her roots come from the Al-Masharqa region in Taiz Governorate, and that her full name is Adila Hashem Ali Muhammad Al-Mashriqi, and that her grandfather, Alia, moved from Aden to Britain and from there to South Africa.
Experience and human rights activity
Adila Hashem was active in defending the rights of marginalized people in her country, especially health rights. She led many important judicial and human rights campaigns in this field, such as the campaign to ensure access to antiretroviral medications for people infected with HIV/AIDS.
She also participated in drafting a number of draft laws related to health care, such as the AIDS Law in 2007, the Health Care Law in Post-Apartheid South Africa in 2008, and the National Health Law in 2008, in addition to participating in editing the health section within the human rights project in her country.
Her human rights activism expanded to include defending the rights of poor children and the right to obtain quality education for all South African citizens, and she also played a major role in a number of famous lawsuits, including the “Live Esidemini” tragedy in 2016, in which 140 people died in Gauteng Province, northern South Africa. For reasons including hunger, lack of health care, and treatment in unlicensed centers.
After her efforts with a team of lawyers, punitive measures were taken against the government officials involved, and the courts ruled to pay compensation to those affected.
Adila Hashem participated in establishing a number of centers and organizations that support social justice. She participated in establishing “Section 27” in 2002, which is an organization for social and economic rights concerned with providing legal support to victims and spreading awareness of human rights. She served as its director of advocacy until 2017, and in establishing Nonprofit Law Center in 2010, whose activities centered in areas related to health care and education for marginalized communities.
In 2018, she chaired the commission of inquiry into corruption allegations against former South African President Jacob Zuma.
Its support for the Palestinian cause
Adila Hashem’s interest in the Palestinian cause began early when she was a student at the university in 1994 – according to her account – with a serious tragedy in the city of Hebron in the West Bank, which was the massacre at the Ibrahimi Mosque, when an extremist settler – whose name was Baruch Goldstein – opened fire on Palestinian worshipers during the Fifth Fajr prayer. The tenth of Ramadan 1414 AH, corresponding to November 25, 1994, which led to the martyrdom of 29 worshipers and the wounding of 150 others, in an incident that shook the conscience of humanity and as a result of which demonstrations took place in a number of capitals and major cities around the world.
After the massacre, the occupation forces closed Shuhada Street leading to the Ibrahimi Mosque, as well as its shops and municipal offices, and turned its central bus station into a base for the Israeli army. In 2014, Adila Hashem joined the delegation of the “Open Shuhada Street” organization from South Africa, on a trip to Tel Aviv with the aim of reaching the city of Hebron.
The organization led annual activities in this regard that began in 2010 against the Israeli measures against Shuhada Street.
Adela Hashim believes that apartheid in Palestine is worse than apartheid, which divided citizens in South Africa in the 1980s according to their color. Its laws prevented non-whites from the right to vote and participate in elections, and separated government care institutions so that blacks received the worst services in education, health, and other sectors, and guaranteed White political and economic dominance.
This is why Adela’s human rights journey is notable for her concern for the rights that Palestinians are deprived of due to the Israeli occupation, and which blacks were deprived of before them due to white domination in South Africa.
South African delegation to sue Israel
On December 29, 2023, South Africa filed an 84-page lawsuit before the International Court of Justice in The Hague accusing Israel of committing acts of genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. It formed a team of law professors, members of human rights organizations, and lawyers specializing in international law and human rights, including Adela Hashem.
On January 11, 2024, Dr. Adila Hashem stood before Al-Hikma for 25 minutes to plead and present South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel to accuse the occupation forces of committing the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Awards
Adela Hashem received a number of awards, including:
- Human Rights Award from Amnesty International in 2002.
- “Distinguished Woman” Award from the South African Government in 2005.
- Law and Justice Award from the Ford Foundation in 2010.
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