insert_link Africa Gender apartheid: oppression of women should be made a crime against humanity – feminist academic explains why By Penelope Andrews, New York Law School Crimes against humanity are occurring with impunity around the globe; from Myanmar to Sudan, Ukraine and elsewhere. And yet, unlike international treaties for the crimes of genocide, torture, apartheid and forced disappearances, there isn’t a treaty specific to crimes against humanity. That lack is now being remedied. The International Law Commission, a UN expert body, has submitted […] today16 July, 2024
insert_link Africa Gambia MPs uphold ban on female genital mutilation Gambian lawmakers voted this afternoon to uphold a 2015 ban on female genital mutilation, rejecting a controversial bill seeking to overturn the law after months of heated debate and international pressure. Legislators killed the bill by voting against all the proposed amendments to the 2015 text that would have decriminalised the practice. Rights groups and the United Nations had urged MPs to reject the bill, saying it […] today15 July, 2024
insert_link Africa UK-Rwanda migrant deal challenges international protection law By Cristiano d'Orsi, University of Johannesburg In late April 2024 the British parliament passed a law – the Safety of Rwanda Act – enabling it to transport migrants arriving in the UK to Rwanda. When the legislation was approved by parliament, there were 52,000 asylum seekers who could potentially be sent to Rwanda. The law has been condemned by a range of UN actors, human rights […] today22 May, 2024
insert_link Africa Rwanda’s role in eastern DRC conflict: why international law is failing to end the fighting By Kerstin Bree Carlson, Roskilde University The power of international law lies in its potential to offer alternatives to force and violence. The ideal is that states submit their grievances to a court rather than duke them out on a battlefield, or carry them out against civilians. As concerns armed violence, there are two international courts that countries can engage. The first is the International […] today20 May, 2024
insert_link World International Court of Justice holds hearings over Rafah offensive The International Court of Justice is holding a hearing over South Africa's demands that Israel halt its offensive in Rafah. Late last year Pretoria brought a case against Israel to the UN's top court accusing it of violating the genocide convention. Allegations Israel has denied. William Denselow reports from The Hague in the Netherlands where the ICJ is located. today16 May, 2024
insert_link Science & Technology Elon Musk vs Australia: global content take-down orders can harm the internet if adopted widely By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask themselves whether they are equally happy for courts in China, Russia and Iran to determine what Australians can see and post online in Australia. This is the problem with […] today25 April, 2024
World Are embassies off-limits? Ecuadorian and Israeli actions suggest otherwise − and that sets a dangerous diplomatic precedent Ecuadorian special forces break into the Mexican Embassy in Quito. Alberto Suarez/API/AFP via Getty Images) Jorge Heine, Boston University It has long been held that embassies should be treated as “off-limits” to other nations. Yet in a single week, two governments – both long-established democracies – stand accused of violating, in different ways, the laws surrounding foreign diplomatic missions. First, on April 1, 2024, Iran’s embassy in Damascus was bombed, […] today10 April, 2024
insert_link World Starvation is a weapon of war: Gazans are paying the price By Ateqah Khaki, The Conversation; Husein Haveliwala, The Conversation, and Vinita Srivastava, The Conversation On Monday, the European Union’s foreign policy chief accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war and provoking famine in Gaza. Israel denies the allegations, which are some of the strongest words we have heard from a western power about the situation in Gaza since October. The EU statement comes on the heels […] today2 April, 2024
insert_link World Malta Urges the ICC to Hurry Up Its War Crimes Probes in Palestine Ambassador Vanessa Frazier of Malta detailed to the press her country’s plans presiding over the Security Council in April 2024. Frazier is one of five women envoys in the Council, and she successfully led a resolution calling for a pause in fighting in Gaza in November by focusing on the plight of children. “Children are affected more in Gaza, and as women, it affects us too,” she said in […] today2 April, 2024
