As most of our readers know, Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni, a leading figure in the creation of the field of international criminal law, passed away yesterday at the age of 79. Professor Bassiouni had a large email list of friends and acquaintances, and his email account sent out one last posthumous message last night. We are posting it here for those...
I have a review up at the Washington Post. A great read. ...
[Jean Galbraith is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School] President Trump has reportedly made a decision about whether or not to end the Iran deal – although he won’t yet say what he’s decided. The Iran deal, more formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is a political commitment rather than...
[Heather Cohen is a Legal & Policy Associate with the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR), which harnesses the collective power of progressive organizations to push governments to create and enforce rules over corporations that promote human rights and reduce inequality.] Can corporations be held accountable in the United States for violations of international law? This question is back before the Supreme...
[Riccardo Labianco is a PhD candidate at SOAS, University of London. His research focuses on state-to-state military assistance in times of conflict.] On 10th July 2017, the High Court of Justice (HCJ) delivered its decision regarding the choice of the Secretary of State for International Trade not to halt the transfers of arms between the UK and Saudi Arabia (SA). The...
[The following is a response from Anne Peters, the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the History of International Law] Dear readers, The JHIL received this letter and had agreed towards the authors in writing to publish it in the JHIL as soon as possible. Publication in JHIL does not imply any agreement or endorsement by the editors or by the academic advisory board...
[This letter was sent to the editors of the Journal of the History of International Law on 29 August 2017. I am a signatory, not the letter's author.] Dear Editors, We are writing to express our grave concern about the publication of an article entitled ‘The Forgotten Genocide in Colonial America: Reexamining the 1622 Jamestown Massacre within the Framework of the UN...
Here is CUP's statement: Kudos to CUP for doing the right thing. And kudos to everyone -- including Jan Klabbers -- who took a public stand against CUP's capitulation to Chinese pressure. UPDATE: True to form, China is now censoring news of CUP's decision not to censor!...
Leiden University’s The Hague Program for Cyber Norms is inviting an open consultation on how to best implement the UN Group of Governmental Experts’ (UN GGE) recommendations on responsible State behavior in cyberspace. Partner in these consultations is the ICT4Peace Foundation. The Call for commentary and implementation guidelines can be found here. To participate, please send your questions, comments, recommendations to Mr....
[Dr. Aaron Matta is an expert in international law with working experience at International Courts. He also recently co-founded The Hague Council on Advancing International Justice, a network for and with practitioners, academics, and policymakers in the area of international justice. I would like to thank Dr. Philip Ambach and Anda Scarlat for their feedback on earlier drafts of this commentary.The...
I have filed an amicus brief in the Al Bahlul case. Al Bahlul was charged and convicted before a military commission for multiple offenses including conspiracy. On appeal, several of the charges were thrown out, but the conspiracy conviction remains and is the subject of his cert petition before the U.S. Supreme Court. Although the government once held the position...
Waiver of immunity is at the center of another cholera case against the UN, this time in the Eastern District of New York. In LaVenture et al v. United Nations, the plaintiffs argue that they have two distinct questions on waiver that distinguish this litigation from the recent decision upholding the UN's absolute immunity in Georges et al. The questions...
