Emma DeSouza is a writer, campaigner and peace builder. She initiated a human rights case regarding the Belfast ‘Good Friday Agreement,’ resulting in substantive changes in UK Immigration Law for those resettling in Northern Ireland. Emma formerly ran as a candidate in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections. She spoke with JURIST Interviews Managing Editor James [...]
Search Results for: 2015-02-25
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 [...]
Gavin Newsom's Moral Imperative: Commute All of California's Death Sentences
With the stroke of his pen, California Governor Gavin Newsom could have a significant impact on the death penalty across the US. Though Newsom lacks the power to end capital punishment in California, he could take executive action to commute the sentences of the roughly 700 condemned awaiting execution in in the state—a death row figure [...]
Burkina Faso coup leader cancels 2024 elections, citing security concerns
Burkina Faso coup leader Ibrahim Traore announced Friday that there would be no elections in the country until security concerns were addressed. Traore previously promised elections would be reinstated by 2024 to ensure democracy. Speaking on national television, the junta leader said elections were not a priority compared to the related security concerns. In response [...]
Rule of Law Chronicles: In America, the Kids Are Not Alright
This article is the fourth in a series covering attacks on the rule of law. The rule of law is a political philosophy premised on the promise that all citizens, leaders, and institutions are accountable to the same laws, guaranteed through processes, practices, and norms that work together to support the equality of all citizens [...]
HRW: Chad government owes millions in compensation to victims of former war-criminal president
Human Rights Watch (HRW), as well as several Chadian organizations and news outlets, Friday announced that victims of the late President of Chad, Hissène Habré, have still not received their court-ordered reparations. This delay has continued for over seven years, following Habré’s conviction in Senegal in 2016. In 2016, Habré was convicted of crimes against [...]
Russia’s Use of Force Against Ukraine: An International Law Perspective
The basic international law One of the most fundamental rules of international law is that States are prohibited from using force to resolve their international disputes. Any State that uses force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another State violates this solemn rule of international law. Applying this rule, the use of force [...]
US Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments in opioid prescription cases
The US Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in Ruan v. United States and Kahn v. United States. Both cases concern appeals from doctors who were convicted of illegally distributing prescription drugs. The cases center around the question of whether doctors can defend themselves against these claims by arguing that they acted in good faith. In [...]
Credibility on International Justice Requires Equal Application of the Law
On June 7, at a public hearing, Representative Ilhan Omar asked Secretary of State Tony Blinken where the victims of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity could go to seek justice if domestic prosecutors won’t pursue cases in court. Omar had noted the Biden administration’s opposition to the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s Afghanistan and [...]
A Miscarriage of Justice: The Pleaing of Tony DeDolph and the Elusion of Accountability
On January 23, 2021, Chief Petty Officer Tony DeDolph of the U.S. Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) was sentenced to ten years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter of Staff Sergeant Logan Melgar of the U.S. Army Green Berets. DeDolph, “pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit assault, involuntary manslaughter, hazing, and obstruction of justice,” [...]