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[Ben Grama is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Human Rights Centre of Ghent University. He is part of the inter-institutional multidisciplinary iBOF project “Future-proofing human rights: Developing thicker forms of accountability”, a collaboration between the Universities of Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, and Hasselt. His work focuses on devising a thick conception of accountability drawing on the overall research findings of...

[Natasha Yvonne Barigye is an International Justice Fellow at Amnesty International and a lawyer specialising in international criminal law. Melissa Hendrickse is a Legal Advisor at Amnesty International, specialising in racial justice and international criminal law.  Vito Todeschini is a Legal Advisor at Amnesty International, where he advises on international humanitarian law, international criminal law and international human rights law.] Introduction In the last...

To have your event or announcement featured in next week’s post, please send a link and a brief description (1-2 paragraphs) to ojeventsandannouncements@gmail.com. Announcement The Unseen History of International Law: On May 15, 2025, marking exactly 400 years since the first edition of Hugo Grotius' De iure belli ac pacis, Oxford University Press published "The Unseen History of International Law: A Census Bibliography...

[William Worster has taught public international law, the law of international organizations and international migration and refugee law at The Hague University of Applied Sciences for more than sixteen years] This post raises the possibility that the current and proposed deportations from the US might rise to the level of a crime against humanity as they unfold. Recent deportation actions by...

[Andrea Maria Pelliconi is a Lecturer in Human Rights Law & Global Justice at the University of Southampton, where she researches demographic engineering, displacement, and international law. She is currently undertaking a British Academy/Leverhulme-funded project on the Western Sahara dispute with Dr. Victor Kattan (University of Nottingham).] “Dakhla is essentially a military camp”, wrote (former) British diplomat Simon Pease in his report to the...

[Tadesse Kebebew is a Researcher and Project Manager at the Geneva Water Hub, a Centre of Competence on Water for Peace and holds a PhD in International Law from the Geneva Graduate Institute] Introduction  Water has increasingly become both a target and a weapon in armed conflicts across regions, causing severe humanitarian suffering and environmental degradation. When warring parties damage water systems...

[Ignacio Portela Giráldez is a Ph.D. candidate at University of New South Wales (UNSW), tutor of ‘Introduction to Military Ethics’ at UNSW and tutor of ‘International Public Law’ at UTS. His research explores new legal pathways to defend communities living in Special territories of the European Union (Outermost regions and Overseas Countries and Territories) and British Overseas Territories.] In Cannavacciuolo and...

[Naimeh Masumy is a Research Fellow a Deakin University, PhD Candidate at Maastricht University and a dispute resolution expert specialized in energy and investment disputes] As the new administration dismantles the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, the importance of diversity within the legal profession and its broader implications beyond daily practice has come into sharper focus. Critics of this initiative often fail...

[Neve Gordon is a professor at the School of Law, Queen Mary University of London, a Fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences and the former Chair of the British Society of Middle Eastern Studies’ Committee on Academic Freedom. He is the author of Israel’s Occupation (University of California Press 2008) and co-author of The Human Right to Dominate (Oxford University Press, 2015), Human Shields:...

[Neve Gordon is a professor at the School of Law, Queen Mary University of London, a Fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences and the former Chair of the British Society of Middle Eastern Studies’ Committee on Academic Freedom. He is the author of Israel’s Occupation (University of California Press 2008) and co-author of The Human Right to Dominate (Oxford University Press, 2015), Human...

To have your event or announcement featured in next week’s post, please send a link and a brief description (1-2 paragraphs) to ojeventsandannouncements@gmail.com. Featured Announcement: BIICL Summer Schools 2025 This summer, the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) is hosting two summer schools designed for individuals looking to deepen their legal expertise. The first programme, Law and Technology, provides a comprehensive overview of the...

[Image by Freepik.] Introduction It is widely acknowledged that, without regulation, Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) can contribute to violations of international law and benefit from impunity. Both corporate actors and States increasingly rely on PMSCs to secure their operations in high-risk areas—whether through direct contracts, in-house security arrangements, or outsourcing military and law enforcement functions. Numerous UN reports have documented...