Search: Syria Insta-Symposium
14 Jun What do Appropriate Due Diligence Measures for Nonstate and Substate Partners Look Like? Part II: A Sample of US Practice in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan
...procedures aimed at mitigating or preventing abuse or misconduct by supported Syrian groups – to a surprising degree given the conflict context, the limited US force presence in Syria, and the absence in many cases of US domestic legal requirements to take such steps. The earliest US assistance to Syrian armed groups was the State Department non-lethal assistance (e.g., trucks, communications equipment, medical and humanitarian supplies) to select groups associated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which was underway by early 2013. From mid-2013, the CIA followed suit, covertly providing...
15 Mar What Justice Can International Law Bring to Syrians?
Court of Justice A non-criminal option to bring accountability to Syrians is currently being pursued by the Netherlands and Canada. On 18 September 2020, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note to inform the Syrian government that “the Netherlands has invoked Syria’s responsibility … under the UN Convention against Torture [CAT] … remind[ing] Syria of its international obligations to cease the violations and offer victims full reparation.” In accordance with the three-step process envisaged under article 30 of the CAT, the Netherlands have asked Syria to enter...26 Aug The Legality of a Syrian Military Intervention: Russia, France, and the UK Weigh In
...be? Anne-Marie Judson If Syria was removed from the United Nations, (because it is not abiding by United Nations Charter conditions) then Syria would no longer be a legitimate state, therefore United Nations member states would no longer consider Syria a state in the sense that it was to be protected by the United Nations rules and regulations. If this is at all possible then it would not be a question of intervention or attack in relation to the United Nations rules and mechanisms (in regards to the Security Council)...17 Jun Closing Remarks on Boumediene Insta-Symposium
I wanted to thank all of our participants for a wonderful “insta-symposium” on Boumediene. I certainly learned a tremendous amount from our guests and greatly appreciate their willingness to participate and thoughtfully engage. I wanted to end by addressing some of the comments expressed concerning the format of these insta-symposia, especially on the issue of diversity. In organizing this event, I took pains to find experts in the field who provided diversity in terms of viewpoint (left and right), seniority (young scholars and seasoned veterans), professional expertise (historians, advocates, military...
29 Apr Beyond Territoriality: Symposium on Jurisdictional “Hooks” for (Extraterritorial) Human Rights Obligations – Introduction
...instance Gibney, Skogly, and Vandenhole, Erdem Türkelli and Hammonds. However, the mainstream approach seems to remain within the confines of the case law of politically limited courts; and thus, a renewed call to this alternative perspective is called for. *** In this blog symposium, participants who have previously engaged in depth with these fascinating questions, have honoured us by joining us in this conversation through the format of the blog series. This blog symposium is an output of the Scientific Research Network ‘Extraterritorial Human Rights Obligations in Practice’ which is...08 Oct Guest Post: On ‘Humanitarian Intervention’, ‘Lawmaking’ Moments and What the ‘Law Ought to Be’–Counseling Caution Against a New ‘Affirmative Defense to Art. 2 (4)’ After Syria
...recognition of the SNC as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. What is the Assad regime under the circumstances? What entity represents the Syrian people and their quest for self-determination? The SNC can consent to outside assistance and use of force as a "belligerent" and as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. At least, the matter is far more complex than most of the EJIL and Opinio Juris essays seem to recognize. A strong case can be made that some uses of force would not violate Article 2(4)...06 Apr The Strike in Syria – Is the International Law Calculation Different Now Than in 2013?
but I think unpersuasive. The United States today has its own troops on the ground in Syria – troops that were not present in 2013, troops stationed (at least some of them) as close as 50 miles away from the site of the chemical weapons attack. In the abstract, one might imagine this could lead the United States to offer some sort of self-defense justification (in defense of our own nationals). But given our troops are in Syria (to fight ISIS) without Syrian consent, and given Syria’s apparent determination since...22 Jan John Bellinger Endorses a Not-Legal Military Intervention in Syria
Former Bush State Department Legal Adviser John Bellinger has a complicated op-ed arguing that the U.S. should be prepared to intervene militarily in Syria, even if its intervention is not strictly legal. His argument is complicated because he rejects the idea that any intervention in Syria now, even with the agreement of the Syrian Opposition, would violate existing international law. The escalating death toll in Syria, which exceeds 60,000, has increased pressure on President Barack Obama to do more to help the Syrian opposition. But traditional legal rules that protect...
15 Mar SCSL Symposium: A Legal Legacy that Opens the Way to Justice in Challenging Places and Times–Part II
to have been perpetrated by the Syrian Arab Republic, including those who ordered such attacks.” The Decision noted that the OPCW had concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Syria IIIM which had its “full support” and to which it would provide relevant information. Finally it promised “the greatest measure of assistance in connection with criminal investigations or criminal proceedings in accordance with international law.” The OPCW Executive Council provided Syria with 90 days to respond, and if Syria failed to redress the situation, recommended that the Conference of...15 Jul Chemical weapons in Syria – German and Belgian companies complicit?
...perpetrated in Syria-a nation that seems to have fallen through the cracks of the international justice system. In March 2018 the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 511,000 since the war in Syria began in 2011.According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 6,2 million people have been displaced internally. As the war goes on, crimes continue to be committed with unbridled impunity. To date, Russia and China have prevented the situation in Syria from coming before the International Criminal Court by exercising their veto...