[Ríán Derrig is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute of the United Nations World Maritime University, Malmö.] In late August 2022 delegates from around the world convened at UN Headquarters in New York to agree a treaty. The treaty could protect biodiversity in ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction – the ‘high seas’ – and redistribute ocean resources. This was expected to be the last...
[Zsófia Baumann is a Junior Researcher at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut in The Hague, where she works on topics related to foreign terrorist fighters, counterterrorism and human rights and carries out research on the rehabilitation and reintegration of terrorist offenders.] Part I of this post outlined the main criticisms directed at the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) from the human rights community. It...
[Zsófia Baumann is a Junior Researcher at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut in The Hague, where she works on topics related to foreign terrorist fighters, counterterrorism and human rights and carries out research on the rehabilitation and reintegration of terrorist offenders.] Introduction The Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) was set up in 2011 as a multilateral, informal platform of 30 Members working to support...
[Santiago Vargas Niño, LL.M. is an independent legal consultant and lecturer in international protection of human rights at Los Andes University in Bogotá D.C., Colombia. He previously worked as a legal officer of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace. He also served as an intern, legal assistant, assistant legal officer, and legal consultant of the Office of the Prosecutor of the...
[Archita Sharma and Chytanya S Agarwal are undergraduate students at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore.] The Ukraine-Russia conflict has shown that international armed conflicts are not a distant reality in the 21st Century. The war continues to cause immense suffering and devastation, raising several international law concerns. The alleged use of thermobaric weapons by the Russian forces against Ukraine creates concerns...
[Ahan Gadkari is a final year BA LLB candidate at Jindal Global Law School. He serves as a Research Assistant under Dr. Aniruddha Rajput, Member, UN International Law Commission.] Introduction The conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine increases day by day in intensity and, with it, the already heavy toll in terms of victims, missing persons and displaced persons seeking refuge in neighboring countries...
[Luke James, LLM. is a security analyst interested in peace processes. He has worked at the ICC, OSCE, British Red Cross, Platform for Peace Humanity, UNV and is an Army Reservist.] On 5 July, Ret. Colonel John Spencer spoke at NATO’s Urban Warfare Conference in London. He described how Ukrainian President Zelensky “turned his civilians into fighters”, telling the Ukrainians citizens...
John Heieck has been putting together our weekly Events & Announcements post since we relaunched Opinio Juris -- more than 160 posts. But all good things must come to an end, so it's time to say goodbye to John. All of us at OJ want to express our profound gratitude for his efforts, and we wish him nothing but the...
[Kartikeya Garg obtained his LL.M. in International Law from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva (IHEID) and as a lawyer, has worked at the Trade and Environment Division of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).] [The views expressed in this article are personal. This article has been prepared for informational purposes only.] Introduction Climate change mitigation has been at the forefront of many recent multilateral initiatives and transcends...
[Caroline Stover is a lawyer focusing on human rights and refugee law and is currently the acting Head of Asia Programme at ARTICLE 19. Michael Altman-Lupu is a human rights lawyer working with ARTICLE 19 to protect and defend freedom of expression in Southeast Asia.] The Argument for the Investigation of Those Ordering Internet and Telephonic Shutdowns Under Articles 25(3)(c) and...
[Caroline Stover is a lawyer focusing on human rights and refugee law and is currently the acting Head of Asia Programme at ARTICLE 19. Michael Altman-Lupu is a human rights lawyer working with ARTICLE 19 to protect and defend freedom of expression in Southeast Asia.] Introduction Across the world, the rise of internet-based communications has facilitated the documentation of evidence of violations of...
[Raquel Saavedra is an International Legal Adviser, Myanmar, for the International Commission of Jurists. Kingsley Abbott is the Director of Global Accountability and International Justice, International Commission of Jurists.] In recent conversations with diplomats covering Myanmar, we continue to be asked: is it still worthwhile for states to support the work of Myanmar lawyers when the justice system is in a state of...