DR Congo reinstates death penalty after 21 years amid escalating violence and militant attacks
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Friday revealed it was lifting a 21-year-moratorium on executions in response to escalating violence and militant attacks, to stop its citizens, as well as active duty military and police, from cooperating with M23 rebels in the country’s eastern regions. The decision to lift the moratorium and reinstate [...]
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) on Monday accused the US of orchestrating a covert campaign to interfere with the upcoming Russian presidential election, set to take place on Mar. 15-17. The spy agency claims the administration of US President Joe Biden has ordered a group of American NGOs to stifle voter turnout in a bid [...]
Explainer: The Israel-Hamas War and the International Criminal Court
The current conflict engulfing Israel and Palestine raises significant issues of international law and policy. This is part one in an anticipated two-part series that will discuss some of the relevant legal questions before the International Criminal Court (ICC; Part I) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ; Part II). With both courts located in [...]
Lawrence Wilkerson is a retired United States Army Colonel who held key roles in government, including serving as Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell from 2002 to 2005. Wilkerson played a role in preparing US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s presentation in 2003 at the United Nations in making the case for [...]
Israeli prosecutors resumed the corruption trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Israeli Minister of Justice Yaris Levin lifted the country’s state of emergency on December 1. The trial had been on hold since September 20, when the courts adjourned for Rosh Hashanah. The trial was then again postponed due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas [...]
Peru constitutional court affirms ex-president pardon despite international court ruling
The Peru constitutional court moved Wednesday to affirm a 2017 pardon granting the release of ex-President Alberto Fujimori despite an Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) ruling that required the release be blocked. Fujimori was convicted in 2009 and sentenced to the maximum term of 25 years for various war crimes and corruption during his [...]
South Korea court upholds law criminalizing same-sex relations in military service
The Constitutional Court of South Korea upheld a law for the fourth time on Thursday that criminalizes same-sex relations in the military. The court, which is one of the highest in South Korea, claimed that same-sex activities might undermine discipline and harm the combat capabilities of the military. According to Article 92-6 of the Military [...]
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9) South Sudan, Africa’s youngest nation, has been struggling with civil strife, armed conflict and a deplorable state of human rights and the rule of law before and after its independence in 2011. South Sudan came to international attention in the early [...]
Violence against journalists in Mexico increased exponentially under current administration
According to a report published Tuesday by human rights advocates in the first half of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s term violence against journalists has increased by 85%, compared to the first half of his predecessor’s term. The report by Article 19, an international human rights group, described Mexico as “the most dangerous country for journalists” [...]
US Senate Judiciary Committee begins Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmation hearings
The US Senate Judiciary Committee began the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Monday. This is the first of four days. During the first three days, Jackson will appear in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the final day will entail testimony from others. President Joe Biden nominated Jackson, a judge [...]
