Guatemala became the 121st state to join the Rome Statute system of the International Criminal Court last week. The statute will enter into force on July 1st, 2012. In other ICC news, Libya's justice minister has stated the country will not hand over Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to the Court, as it would rather try him in Libya. The UN-brokered Syrian ceasefire agreement...
The Tuareg separatists in Mali have ended their military operations. In response, a mediator claims that economic and diplomatic sanctions imposed by ECOWAS countries could soon be lifted. Foreign Policy has a context piece outlining how the war in terror created the current “Mess in Mali.” Additionally, there have been calls for independence for the Azawad region. FP looks at...
US President Barack Obama spoke in Seoul today, promising to pursue nuclear cuts, an issue he will push in a May meeting slated with incoming Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pakistan’s legislators are debating ties with the US, specifically with respect to re-opening NATO supply routes that have been closed since a US attack killed 24 soldiers in Pakistan last November. Iranian President Mahmoud...
The International Court of Justice issued two press releases about upcoming hearings in both the Frontier Dispute (Burkina Faso/Niger), scheduled for October 8-17, 2012; and the Maritime Dispute (Peru v. Chile), scheduled for December 3-14, 2012. Reuters reports a three-way scramble for the upcoming World Bank presidential elections, with American economist Jeffrey Sachs registered as a candidate. African finance ministers have...
In a military coup, soldiers have claimed to have overthrown the president of Mali, Amadou Toumani Toure. Libya resists ICC’s custody claims in cases against Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi and Abdullah Senussi. Al-Qaeda has taken responsibility for dozens of bombings across Iraq, which have killed at least 52, leading up to the Arab League summit in Baghdad. China’s Justice Ministry has ordered all lawyers...
Mauritania has agreed to extradite ex-Libyan chief-of-intelligence Abdullah al-Senussi to Libya. The Economist outlines the world’s biggest arms exporters based on a new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. US President Barack Obama is slated to visit the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea today ahead of his upcoming visit with South Korean president, Lee Meyung-Bak. Western powers diluted the...
Amnesty International says that NATO failed in its obligation to investigate or provide compensation for deaths in Lybia during its seven-month operation last year. A court in Zimbabwe convicted six activists of trying to unseat Robert Mugabe through Arab Spring-like protests. The convicted men face up to 10 years in prison. India may follow China's example and ask its airlines not to...
In addition to its recently introduced Weekend Roundup, Opinio Juris is pleased to offer you the Weekday News Wrap. This Monday-through-Friday feature aims to offer a selection of news items from around the world related to many topics of interest on the blog. As usual, feedback is very welcome and we wish you happy reading! The first ITLOS judgment on maritime delimitation was...
