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 [...]
Hong Kong begins consultation period for local security legislation
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee announced the commencement of a four-week consultation period for a new local security law under Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, on Tuesday. This consultation period will allow Hong Kong citizens to voice their opinions on the new law and have them considered by lawmakers. Article [...]
Facing Trump II: America's Urgent Obligation to Rethink Nuclear Command Authority
“The man who laughs has simply not yet heard the horrible news.” Berthold Brecht An Existential Task Until the end of his presidency – and even after his open complicity in subverting the United States Constitution on January 6, 2021 – Donald J. Trump held effectively unchecked nuclear command authority. Now, after multiple criminal [...]
Why do coups d’état happen? Is it that bad leadership pushes people to their boiling points, compelling them to take matters into their own hands? Or is it a lack of adequate preventative laws? Do external factors play a role? And in Africa specifically, how much of an impact does history tend to have? Moreover, [...]
Red Cross delegate: Guantanamo inmates show signs of 'accelerated aging'
A top International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegate Friday said that inmates held by the US at Guantanamo Bay Detention Center are experiencing “symptoms of accelerated .” Patrick Hamilton, the head of the ICRC’s US and Canada delegation, visited Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in March and says that the inmates’ symptoms are consistent with [...]
As the US Supreme Court considers oral arguments in the cases of Students for Fair Admission vs. Harvard College and the University of North Carolina, JURIST’s latest explainer offers a breakdown of the parties, the legal issues, and the factual allegations at play in the case. What are the cases about? A race-neutrality advocacy group [...]
On 20 July 2022, a man who had recently lost a parliamentary election was appointed President of Sri Lanka. A closer look at what led to Ranil Wickramasinghe’s presidential reign highlights an array of Constitutional quirks that threaten to continue to undermine democracy in the island nation. Wickramasinghe was hoisted into the presidency after obtaining [...]
In Honolulu, a new bill has been proposed and signed that will impose penalties on individuals and institutions that commit crimes against seniors in Hawaii. In earlier June, the bill was signed into law by Governor David Ige during the Hawaii State Capitol ceremony. The objective of House Bill 490 is to improve the protection [...]
Preventing Nuclear War: Legal Obligations for an Imperiled Planet
“Scholars build the structure of peace in the world.” Babylonian Talmud; Order Zera’im, Tractate Berakoth, IX Background of the Problem Back in the late 1960s, at Yale Law School and Princeton University’s Department of Politics, a series of joint-programs was developed under the heading of World Order Studies. This advanced academic series focused upon the [...]
The Futility of Trump's Sanctions Against ICC Investigators, and the Need for Accountability
US President Donald Trump’s sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators in June expose the hypocrisy and incoherency of the Trump administration’s foreign policy. Trump’s sanctions surpass a lack of cooperation and enter into outright hostility toward an entity dedicated to justice and human rights. Ultimately, the power of the ICC is derived from [...]
