Ethiopia's former dictator, Mengistu Haile Marian, has been convicted in absentia of genocide following a 12-year trial involving 72 defendants. All but one were found guilty; 34 defendants were present in court, while 25 were tried in absentia. Sentencing, which will almost certainly result in a death sentence for Mengistu, is set for December 28. Regardless, the exercise...
I have just posted a short essay on SSRN critiquing the ICTR's recent decision in Prosecutor v. Karemera et al. Here is the abstract: The Appeals Chamber of the ICTR recently held in Prosecutor v. Karemera et al. that the existence of a nationwide campaign of genocide in Rwanda in 1994 is a “fact of common knowledge” of which Trial...
Eric Muller, a UNC law professor and WWII historian who blogs at Is That Legal?, has posted an "open letter" to the Institute for Political and International Studies of the Foreign Ministry of Iran that recounts the fate of his great-uncle at the hands of the Nazis. It's a powerful, moving letter (with amazing photos). The letter is...
As some of you may know, voting for the best law blog of 2006 is in its final week. Shamefully, Opinio Juris was not nominated — yet another example of the profession's bias against us international law types. That said, the other blog to which I contribute, The Grotian Moment, was nominated. If you used the blog...
Say what you will about the Independent's politics, the paper knows how to make a point. Today's cover: ...
Steve Clemons of The Washington Note has a number of interesting thoughts on the winners, losers, and implications of Bolton's resignation:1. John Bolton's resignation reflects a loss of ground by Jesse Helms' inspired 'pugnacious nationalists'. It is also a clear loss for Vice President Cheney and his loyal followers. Jim Lobe captures this quite well in a piece he has...
For those of you who have too much time on your hands, a translated version of the verdict -- all 300 pages of it! -- is available exclusively on the Grotian Moment blog here. I hope to post my thoughts on the verdict next week. It will take me that long to read the damn thing! ...
Augusto Pinochet has received last rights following a heart attack. Although still alive, he appears to be in imminent danger of death. If he dies, it will bring one of the darkest chapters in Chilean history to an unsatisfying end; as I have noted before, courts have only recently begun to strip Pinochet of the general immunity he...
It's been a difficult week for the new Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), which is supposed to begin work in early 2007. First, an important meeting of the ECCC's Cambodian and international judges failed to reach agreement on the Tribunal's rules, which govern every aspect of its administration, including investigation procedures, trial motions, and appeals. ...
If true, this is fantastic news:Strong hints have emerged that the Vatican is preparing to change its policy on the use of condoms in the fight against Aids, after a 200-page study on the question, commissioned by the Pope, was passed to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for consideration. "This is something that worries the Pope a lot,"...
I noted a couple of weeks ago that the Iraqi High Tribunal's failure to release the written verdict at the same time that it announced Saddam's conviction was strong evidence that, despite my earlier skepticism, the announcement was timed to influence the U.S. elections. Well, the written verdict still has not been publicly released — making the inference of...
The logical conclusion of Chertoff, Gonzales, et al.'s reactionary hostility to international law?This is where we've arrived in this country: You have the constitutional right to burn an American flag, but you can get into trouble for simply flying a foreign one. At least you can in the 30,000-person town of Pahrump, Nevada, which is close to Las Vegas and even...
