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[Erard de Schaetzen is a Belgian lawyer, holding a Master’s degree in European law from the Université catholique de Louvain and an LL.M. in Public International Law from Utrecht University] On January 9th, 2026, the European Commission and the Mercosur concluded over two decades of negotiations with the signing of the Partnership Agreement (EMPA) and the Interim Trade Agreement (iTA) – the two legal pillars...

[Mehmet Emin Büyük is an Assistant Professor of Public International Law in the School of Law at Ibn Haldun University. His research lies primarily in the field of general international law, with a particular emphasis on the doctrine of sources, international legal theory and history, and the judicial methodology of the International Court of Justice] Introduction Combined, the ongoing devastation in Gaza and the...

[Ayşe Didem Sezgin is an assistant professor of international law at Boğaziçi University, Faculty of Law, Istanbul] Should an olive tree rooted in occupied Palestine, surviving in the shrinking open-air prison ruled under the Israeli apartheid regime be held differently than any other olive tree rooted anywhere else in the world? Could the uprooting of this olive tree be a testimony...

[Dr Mustafa Emre Gokmenoglu is a lecturer in public international law at Hacettepe University School of Law] Israel raided and detained the Global Sumud flotilla activists primarily in two waves: firstly, on 30 April and secondly, on 18 May. The first wave of the raid took place near Crete, 965 km away from Gaza, where Israel maintains a naval blockade under...

[Ali Osman Karaoglu holds a Ph.D. in Public Law at Istanbul Şehir University. He is currently a faculty member in the Department of International Law at Yalova University Faculty of Law, Türkiye] International law constitutes one avenue of the Palestinian struggle. It is not, however, the only one. Nevertheless, even when other forms of resistance are employed, international law invariably remains...

The following post is based on a keynote lecture I delivered at the Global Sumud Flotilla conference. Uniquely, the conference took place at Muğla University the weekend the flotilla launched from Marmaris and was attended by a blend of activists and scholars, more activists than scholars admittedly. The context is relevant for the tone of my remarks. While the essence...

[Akila Radhakrishnan is an independent human rights lawyer and gender justice expert. She is the former President and Legal Director of the Global Justice Center. Payal Shah is an international legal expert on gender, health, and conflict. She serves as the Director of Research, Legal, and Advocacy at Physicians for Human Rights.] In this post, we delve into how reproductive violence can support findings...

[Akila Radhakrishnan is an independent human rights lawyer and gender justice expert. She is the former President and Legal Director of the Global Justice Center. Payal Shah is an international legal expert on gender, health, and conflict. She serves as the Director of Research, Legal, and Advocacy at Physicians for Human Rights.] Today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in...

[Geoff Gilbert is a Professor at the School of Law and Human Rights Centre, University of Essex, Senior Adviser to PPLA, DIPS, UNHCR and Head of Research for the Criteria Volume of the new Handbook] The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees is celebrating its 75th birthday. In the same way as if it were a human being, after...

[The Honourable Russel W. Zinn is a retired Justice of the Federal Court of Canada and President of the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges] The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees [the Convention] was adopted on July 28, 1951.  It is the foundational international treaty defining who a refugee is and their rights.  Originally limited to European refugees...