[Ben Gerstein (JD, BA) is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Sarajevo Institute for the Research of Crimes against Humanity and International Law] What is the difference between pursuing the violent ethnic homogenization of a territory and the physical destruction of the group living on that land? And further, when does ethnic cleansing reach the threshold of genocide? Examining the...
[Carl Emilio Lewis and Jonathan Kwik are researchers in international law at the TMC Asser Institute] The ‘application of neurotechnology raises [various] ethical, legal and societal issues and questions related to human dignity and human rights’, as UNESCO’s recent Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology warns. One of these risks is the weaponisation of neurotech to amplify disinformation and influence campaigns....
[Serafeim Liakopoulos is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (LL.M.) and is currently a study visitor at the European Court of Human Rights] International comity, as understood by U.S. private international law, is not a binding rule of international law but a principle of discretionary deference towards foreign sovereigns and their legal acts. It encompasses a range...
[Elliot Dolan-Evans is a lecturer in law at Monash University and RMIT. Sophie Rigney is a senior lecturer in law at RMIT University and the author of Fairness and Rights in International Criminal Procedure (EUP, 2022).] On 22 October 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) handed down its latest ruling concerning Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). This Advisory Opinion was on...
[Nandini Bulchandani holds an LLM in international law from UCL and is an incoming foreign law clerk at the Constitutional Court of South Africa] Introduction On Monday 17 November 2025, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution that sidesteps crucial international legal norms to foist a foreign administration upon Gaza. Stripping law of effect and reanimating imperial hegemonies, UNSC Resolution 2803 is a...
[Thairi Moya Sánchez (PhD) is a full-time professor of public international law at Complutense University of Madrid] Over recent months, the Venezuela file has moved into an accelerated escalation: international airlines suspended or curtailed operations amid official safety advisories and mounting regional military risk; Washington announced coercive maritime measures against sanctioned oil shipments; and, on 3 January 2026, U.S. forces conducted...
[Diana Kearney is a former Visiting Instructor of Clinical Law at Cardozo Law School Human Rights & Atrocity Prevention Clinic] The Trump administration’s abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and subsequent announcement that the U.S. intends to run the nation is the administration’s most shocking move to date– a tall order for a President that has generated a steady torrent of...
[Efrén Ismael Sifontes Torres is an Ayudante de Segunda in international law courses and a member of the Observatory of International Humanitarian Law at the University of Buenos Aires School of Law] As a Venezuelan and an international lawyer, it took me some time to pause and reflect on the repercussions of the events that have shaken, and continue to shake,...
[Metra Mehran, is an activist from Afghanistan, member of the End Gender Apartheid Campaign and Afghanistan Advocacy Specialist at Amnesty International. Venesa Sulimani is a survivor-led advocate from Kosovo, advancing accountability for conflict-related sexual and other gender-based violence and mental health awareness.] Last week, we sat in the United Nations in New York as preparations began on what could become the first global...
[Arunava (Avi) Banerjee is a research assistant at the University of Tartu and an Erasmus Mundus scholar in the International Law of Global Security, Peace and Development (ILGSPD) programme] In February 2025, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR or Court) handed down a unanimous judgement in the case of Centre for Human Rights and Others v. Tanzania (hereinafter...
[Beichen Ding is a PhD Candidate in Law at the World Trade Institute, University of Bern] This post was originally written as a reflection for the PhD Workshop “Current Dynamics and Challenges of Contemporary Trade Policy and Regulatory Frameworks” by World Trade Institute, University of Bern. The analysis is inspired by the workshop lectures, in particular the ideas shared by Professor...
[Vashti Ortego is the Global to Local Advocacy Officer at IWRAW Asia Pacific, working on gender equality and women's human rights. She is a transfeminist from the Visayas in the Philippines.] Introduction For more than three decades, the international community has recognized violence against women and girls as a form of gender-based discrimination. This understanding is firmly grounded in the practice of...