Thousands protest in Slovakia over proposed criminal law reforms
Thousands of protesters gathered in front of Slovakia’s Parliament, as well as almost 30 other Slovak cities, on Wednesday and Thursday to voice opposition to the passage of criminal reforms. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico first announced the criminal reforms in December 2023. They passed through Parliament on Thursday via a fast-track procedure. The reforms will [...]
Israel, Counter-Terrorism, and International Law: The Analytic Challenges of 'System'
“The existence of `system’ in the world is obvious to every observer of nature, no matter whom.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man (1959) Whether conspicuous or obscure, terrorism generally presents itself as a systemic challenge. This means, inter alia, that seemingly singular strategic and legal matters may actually be many-sided and interrelated. Regarding legal issues, though [...]
France high court extends jurisdiction over human rights violations committed abroad
The Court of Cassation (Cour de Cessation) Friday recognized the universal jurisdiction of the French Judicial System to “prosecute and judge acts of torture, crimes against humanity or war crimes where the acts were committed abroad and neither the perpetrator nor the victim is French.” The doctrine of universal jurisdiction is mandated within international instruments such [...]
Chad’s defense ministry said Sunday that troops of their neighboring country the Central African Republic (CAR) had attacked a Chadian military post and that these actions amounted to a war crime. Chad’s Foreign Minister, Cherif Mahamat Zene said “The Central African armed forces attacked the outpost of Sourou in Chad on Sunday morning … killed [...]
Peru ex-president detained in US on extradition order, faces corruption charges in Peru
Alejandro Toledo, a former president of Peru, was arrested in California on Tuesday on an extradition order for his alleged role in the Odebretch corruption scandal. Toledo is facing corruption charges in Peru for accepting bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebretch while he was in office from 2001-2006. The Odebretch scandal spans 12 countries and [...]
Jeffrey Skilling, founder and ex-Enron CEO imprisoned for his involvement in the high-profile corporate fraud scandal publicized in 2001, was released from federal custody on Thursday after serving more than 12 years in prison. A jury convicted Skilling in May 2006 on 19 counts of conspiracy, securities fraud, insider trading and lying to auditors for [...]
International Religious Freedom Summit Fails to Mask Trump’s Scorn for Human Rights
From degrading disabled people, women, LGBT individuals, and other minorities to the forsaking of the United Nation Human Rights Council, and from separating migrant families to the coddling of authoritarians and racists, this presidency consistently ridicules human rights. It follows that the State Department’s first international conference to Advance Religious Freedom might trigger a collective [...]
Judge Kavanaugh and the Public’s Health: Existing & Emerging Challenges
President Donald Trump’s recent nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh as Associate Justice to the U.S. Supreme Court from a list of potential candidates has ignited immediate support and criticism from conservatives and liberals respectively. An undergrad and law alum at Yale University, Judge Kavanaugh clerked for the departing Justice Anthony Kennedy, practiced law privately [...]
The war crimes trial of Eshetu Alemu, an aide to Ethiopia's former communist ruler Mengistu Haile Mariam , began on Monday at a Dutch national court in the Hague. Alemu is alleged to have ordered the execution of 75...
JURIST Guest Columnist Megan A. Fairlie of the Florida International University College of Law discusses the value of preserving an important, unsung hero of the State Department... Earlier this month, former State Department Deputy Beth van Schaack first reported on...
