[We are pleased to share comments on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision yesterday in Samantar v. Yousuf from Professor Curtis Bradley, who has written a great deal on the issue considered by the Court yesterday. We hope to share comments from other informed observers on the decision over the next couple of days ]. As I bask in the glow...
I know that will sound like a provocative question, but it's not meant to be. According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel justifies its interdiction of the "Freedom Flotilla" by reference to Article 67(a) of the San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflict at Sea, which permits the attack of neutral merchant vessels that "are believed on reasonable...
Julian beat me to the punch regarding the news that Peter Erlinder, the William Mitchell law professor who is one of the leading defense attorneys at the ICTR, has been arrested in Rwanda for "genocide denial" -- code for "criticizing the Kagame government." There is no need to waste time criticizing the arrest; anyone who follows Rwanda knows that Kagame...
I'm sure that this smashing application by Australia to the ICJ is the proximate reason for the Japanese Prime Minister's sudden resignation today. Behold the power of the World Court litigation! OK, I'm violating my late-night blogging rule (see earlier posts for my dumb brain cramps when I blog at midnight) and getting a little punchy. But it is a...
I'm interrupting my current teaching assignment in Rome (a tough gig I know) to flag for reader's the U.S. Supreme Court's decision today in Samantar v. Yousef (see here). As Julian noted in an earlier post, the question before the Court in this case was whether the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) immunized foreign government officials for their official acts. For human rights...
I tread warily into the debate over the Israeli commando raid on the Gaza flotilla. There has been no shortage of commentary and reactions abroad (here in the U.S., it seems most folks are unmoved by the whole incident). Of course, most of the facts are hotly disputed and, frankly, will remain hotly disputed. Still, let me start by advising...
Detained U.S. lawprof Peter Erlinder was hospitalized in Rwanda over the weekend after five hours of questioning. A St. Paul attorney jailed in Rwanda was hospitalized with high blood pressure today after being interrogated, according to his daughter and an attorney. Peter Erlinder, who is charged with promoting genocidal ideology, is expected to be kept in the hospital overnight and returned to jail...
