A chorus of US politicians including President Joe Biden has decried International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan’s decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, alongside three senior Hamas leaders. US officials slammed the ICC’s perceived “equivalence” of Israel and Hamas, the latter [...]
Search Results for: Constitution Ukraine
“Does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office, and if so, to what extent?” This is the latest question the Supreme Court is grappling with that will have a direct impact on a leading candidate ahead of what are expected to [...]
Ukraine lowers age of military conscription to bolster armed forces in war with Russia
Ukraine lowered the age of military conscription on Wednesday from 27 to 25 in an attempt to reinforce their army admist the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky signed the bill outlining the change which had already been passed by the country’s parliament. The new law will result in an expansion of the number [...]
Explainer Part II: The Israel-Hamas War and the International Court of Justice
The ongoing conflict engulfing Israel and Palestine continues to raise significant issues of international law and policy. My earlier contribution focused on the jurisdiction and substantive law of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Here I address the ongoing litigation before the International Court of Justice (ICJ or Court). Because the crime of genocide can be [...]
ECCHR assessment claims Russia attack on Mariupol Theater was a war crime
The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) published Saturday a new legal assessment of the Russian attack on the Mariupol Theater in Ukraine, claiming that the attack was a “war crime” and deliberately done by the Russian Air Force to target Ukrainian civilians who sought refuge in the theater. The Center for Spatial [...]
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced Wednesday that Denmark plans to draft women into the country’s armed forces for the first time. Under current law, only men are required to register for the draft. Frederiksen cited a desire to achieve “full equality between the sexes” as one of the drivers behind the proposed reform. According [...]
Bob Rae, Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations, does not shy away from tough questions. Though many in a position such as his might shy away from argument, Rae seems to relish the opportunity to engage in some intellectual sparring. It was in this context that I requested an interview as Canada grapples with multiple [...]
Albania’s Parliament approved a deal with Italy on Thursday to hold migrants rescued from international waters at Italian-run processing centers. Amnesty International previously condemned the plan to create migrant detention centers under Italian jurisdiction in Albania, calling the deal “unworkable, harmful and unlawful.” The plan is to create two centers in Albania, one at the [...]
ICJ rules it has jurisdiction on some aspects of Ukraine genocide case against Russia
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled Friday that it has jurisdiction to determine aspects of a case, brought by Ukraine against Russia, concerning allegations of genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. In a summary of the judgment, the ICJ noted that the proceedings were initiated in [...]
Civilization and Human 'Oneness' — Templates for a Viable System of International Law
“God loves from Whole to Part, but human soul Must rise from Individual to the Whole.” Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man Though poorly understood, humankind can survive on this planet only by embracing viable systems of international law. More than anything else, these world-centered legal systems must be founded upon axiomatic principles of human [...]