Homework, people, homework: Bangladesh may request the International Criminal Court to put on trial Pakistani forces for alleged war crimes, a top official said Tuesday. 'We will take the matter to the International Criminal Court and seek the trial of the members of the Pakistani occupation forces who committed crimes against humanity during our liberation war,' State Minister for Liberation War...
My long slow slide into complete disenchantment with the Obama administration continues. Comes now, via my two favorite national-security law bloggers, Glenn Greewald and Scott Horton, a truly terrifying tale in which a nameless and faceless Department of Defense committee attempts to put Clive Stafford Smith, one of the world's great human-rights lawyers, in jail for...
Our colleagues at International Law Observer asked me to write a post for them in honor of the blog's second anniversary. I was delighted to do so, and the post is now up. It's a long reflection on the pros and cons of international law blogging -- a timely subject, I think, given that I have been cited twice by...
I've always loved the New York Times. I've been reading it since I was a kid. But this comment by the paper's Executive Editor, Bill "Isn't the Iraq War Just Swell?" Keller, makes me want to cancel my subscription: Saving the New York Times now ranks with saving Darfur as a high-minded cause. Yeah, propping up the Gray Lady is just as...
The more things change, the more things stay the same -- at least with this administration: He had become the most vocal opponent of the trial of Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr, taking on a position more akin to politician than lawyer and launching a two-year public and media campaign that landed him on the front pages of newspapers and inside...
It's not exactly international law, but he was my professor at CU -- one of the very best I ever had -- and, in order to rule in his favor, the jury had to find that a majority of the Regents used his infamous 9/11 essay as a "substantial or motivating factor" in the decision to fire him. So I...
I know I shouldn't let mainstream American conservatives' ignorance of international law bother me, but it does. Today's example: The United States is not a signatory to the International Criminal Court, and Spanish judge and prosecutor Baltasar Garzon is a good reason why. He is considering a lawsuit by lawyers for human rights groups seeking the arrest and extradition of six former...
I recently posted an invite to a Chatham House international law discussion group about the new African Court on Human Rights. The event was obviously a rousing success, as the following report by Sonya Sceats indicates: Last Monday night (23 March 2009) at Chatham House we were very privileged to host a fascinating discussion about Africa's new regional human rights court,...
Oy vey iz mir. The blogosphere is positively abuzz (see here and here) with the news that the ICTY Trial Chamber has used my post about meeting Dr. Karadzic to supports its recent decision that he speaks English for purposes of the Statute and Rules of the Tribunal, a decision that relieves the Prosecution of the obligation to translate its...
The Institute for War and Peace Reporting's article today about Darfur is entitled "Darfuris' Mixed Feelings Over Bashir Warrant." When I first saw the title, I thought that the article was going to discuss Darfuris who believe that the warrant will undermine the possibility of a lasting peace in the region. My bad: “We are really very happy about the arrest...
In response to my previous posts on the correct interpretation of Article 58, Alex de Waal asked three lawyers to answer the following two questions: 1. Did the Pre-Trial Chamber misinterpret Article 58's "reasonable grounds" standard? 2. If so, does the Prosecution Application establish reasonable grounds to believe Bashir is responsible for genocide? It's an interesting survey. Two of the three lawyers agreed...
It's called The Reckoning, and although I have not had a chance to see it yet -- like New Zealand, Australia lags embarrassingly behind the Northern Hemisphere in getting movies, especially documentaries -- I've heard nothing but good things. It even made Sundance, a tremendous accomplishment for any documentary. Here is the synopsis: Late in the 20th century, in response to...
