Search: extraterritorial sanctions
07 Apr A David and Goliath Scenario: Power Dynamics Involved in the Execution of ICC Arrest Warrants
...a “declaration of war.” Beyond these political and military pressures, certain trade dependencies and sanctions may also lead States to take fright at potential economic fallout. A Rock and a Hard Place? These considerations illuminate the lack of adequate tools that the ICC maintains to ensure and promote cooperation among its State Parties. As of now, the ICC has issued 38 arrest warrants for persons allegedly implicated in the commission of grave international crimes. Of these 38, 21 individuals have been arrested and transferred to ICC custody. These numbers may...
22 Jul Between State Responsibility and Decolonial Practices: The Case of Gender Apartheid in Dismantling the Gender-Based Oppression of Afghan Women
...discharge their duties only via secondary mitigation measures: granting asylum, issuing targeted sanctions against individual Taliban members, or supporting individual prosecutions. In cases of apartheid, the institutional framework itself is declared unlawful. Crucially, the legal target triggers not only individual prosecutions and diplomatic isolation but also a duty of cooperation to dismantle the structures of the regime. Therefore, it does not merely mitigate consequences. Thus, gender apartheid becomes a tool for dismantling gender oppression and treating the disease, not only its symptoms. In sum, by targeting the system itself, this...
06 Mar Travellers’ Surveillance: Why the UN Should Stop Supporting the Surveillance of Travellers in the Name of Countering Terrorism
...of systematic human rights abuses”, including Sudan, subject to UN Security Council sanctions, as well as Azerbaijan, the DRC, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Mali, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Vietnam, as noted in the UN Special Rapporteur’s position paper. As such it looks the UN CT Travel programme is falling short of the requirements of the UN Human Rights Due Diligence Policy. Specifically, in the context of border security, the consequences of the travellers’ data surveillance supported by the UN CT Travel programme can be serious and wide-ranging, affecting the right...
14 Sep “Children in Conflict with the Law”: Gaps, Challenges and Promising Practices in Criminal Proceedings
...concerns, and has encouraged States to establish a minimum age below which children cannot be legally detained. It has also called on States to ensure that all persons under the age of 18 in conflict with the law be dealt with through the child justice system, warning that transfers to adult criminal justice systems may expose children to harsher sanctions and increase the risk of prolonged detention. When detention is unavoidable, children must be treated in a manner consistent with their dignity, best interests, and developmental needs. International standards require...
13 Mar The “Inverted Border”: When did the Border become an Obligation to Keep In Rather than a Prerogative to Keep Out?
...and objects from passing into the territory of other states. This is of course outside of special regimes that may stipulate otherwise. It has long been recognized, as it happens in the context of border relations between Canada and the US in the famous Trail Smelter case, that certain types of cross-border environmental harm can engage a state’s responsibility. There is arguably a special case against tolerating the presence of armed irregulars or terrorist groups that are hostile to a neighboring state on one’s territory and the UN’s sanctions regime...
12 May Gulf States and Iran: The Implications of Hosting Military Bases Under Jus ad Bellum and Jus in Bello (Part II)
...Law Association’s Committee on the Use of Force, part of the Multidisciplinary Network on Sanctions (MINOS) and a former official of the Council of Europe.] This is part II of a two part series. Part I available here. Scenario Three: Use of the Bases to Launch Attacks In the first part of this post, we addressed situations in which bases are used to support the war effort – such as for the transit of military personnel, weapons, and fuel – without serving as launch points for attacks. We now turn...
30 May Futureproofing Human Rights Symposium: Insulting Language as Ground for Inadmissibility – Thin-Skinned Accountability?
...rights, such an outcome should be questioned. Fair and consistent accountability for alleged human rights violations requires oversight mechanisms with thick skin. Should human rights mechanisms decide (or be required) to address complainants’ word choice, they should: 1) apply a clear and consistent standard for determining when language is excessively offensive; 2) apply the proportionality test to ensure that any response meets human rights standards; and, 3) limit possible consequences to sanctions that do not foreclose the possibility of accountability, such as by striking the offending language. As the ECtHR’s...
09 Feb When the Host Turns Hostile: Moving UN Headquarters to Save Multilateralism?
...protected terms. That promise depends heavily on the host-state’s adherence to the 1947 Headquarters Agreement in cooperation with the Committee on Relations with the Host Country, established through GA Resolution 2819 in 1971. New York is now a critical stress test: repeated controversies over visas for delegations, including Palestinian officials travelling to ’s 2025 session, prompted UN experts to warn that the United States was at risk of breaching its obligations. Targeted sanctions imposed by Executive Order on members of the International Criminal Court as well as Special Rapporteur on...
12 May Gulf States and Iran: The Implications of Hosting Military Bases Under Jus ad Bellum and Jus in Bello (Part I)
...International Law Association’s Committee on the Use of Force, part of the Multidisciplinary Network on Sanctions (MINOS) and a former official of the Council of Europe.] The Factual and Legal Baseline: Armed Attack and Aggression Since late February 2026, the United States and Israel have conducted sustained strikes on Iranian territory. The chronology of these operations makes clear that the campaign has involved coordinated strikes on nuclear, military, leadership, and civilian targets. The jus ad bellum arguments advanced by Washington, principally a theory of anticipatory self-defence against Iran’s nuclear program,...
08 May Soft Power, Misinformation and the Role of the International Court of Justice
...Joseph S. Nye, ‘soft power’ refers to a nation’s capacity to sway others without resorting to coercive measures. In practical terms, this intricate process involves nations elegantly projecting their values, ideals, and cultural prowess across borders, fostering benevolence, and fortifying alliances. In the ongoing Ukraine conflict, the amalgamation of hard and soft power tools has become a defining strategy, with notable examples illustrating the influence of soft power. The U.S. response to Russia’s invasion leverages soft power through corporate withdrawals, economic sanctions, and currency markets, showcasing the impact of combining...