Search Results for: 2013-07-01

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 [...]

Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor on Friday began an investigation into the alleged spread of “LGBT propaganda” by the language learning application Duolingo, as reported by state-run news organization TASS. Specifically, Duolingo is suspected of running afoul of Article 5 of Russia’s law “On the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development,” [...]

The Associated Press (AP) released an exclusive report Thursday revealing a secret US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) spying program that targeted top Venezuelan officials, including Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, despite the program’s potential illegality under international law. According to AP, the program, internally referred to as Operation Money Badger, has been ongoing since at least [...]

Moïse Katumbi, a prominent political figure and candidate in the upcoming presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), suspended two campaign events following a violent incident at an election rally on Wednesday. Katumbi said that police fired live rounds during the event while Kongo Central governer Guy Bandu stated that Katumbi’s guards [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned on Thursday the Russian Supreme Court’s decision to outlaw the LGBTQ+ movement in the country and label proponents of the movement “extremists” under new legislation. The court’s decision is the most recent development in Russia’s ongoing crackdown against LGBTQ+ people within the country. The Russian Supreme [...]

Public attitude toward minority rights usually can serve as a good baseline for testing a country’s level of general democracy and tolerance. Croatia became a European Union member in 2013 and is criticised for its undemocratic society. Inside the country, there are constant debates on this ground about whether Croatia should be affiliated with Western [...]

The conflict that erupted in April between the Sudanese National Army and the Rapid Support Forces wreaked havoc on Sudan, and has ultimately taken an appalling toll. Thousands were killed and millions displaced. Buildings were burned and infrastructure lay in ruins, instilling fear of a spiraling descent into a full-scale civil war. Even before the warfare [...]

The US President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB) released a report Monday in support of the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) while also recommending restrictions to prevent abuse. Section 702 is a controversial provision of FISA that allows for “the targeting of persons reasonably believed to be located outside the [...]

Australia is the only Western democracy not to have a Human Rights Act in its legal system or constitution. Instead, Australia has a patchwork of rights, leaning on individual legislation, such as the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1977, implied rights, common law, and state-by-state legislation. As noted by the Australian Human Rights Commission,  “There are five [...]

Russia President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed into law a bill that bans transgender people from obtaining gender-affirming surgeries in the country. The Russia Duma previously unanimously passed the bill on July 14.  The new law prohibits surgery and hormone therapy for transgender individuals as well as any gender changes on official Russian documentation. The [...]