Search Results for: judicial independence

The UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) expressed profound concern regarding the systematic occurrence of gross human rights violations against the Papuan people, involving security forces and law enforcement officers in Indonesia. The statement came at the conclusion of its 140th session on Thursday, following the review of reports from Indonesia, Chile, Guyana, Namibia, Serbia, Somalia, and [...]

After years of waiting, the Tunisian judiciary has delivered its verdict in the highly publicized case of the assassination of opposition figure Chokri Belaïd. The decision, rendered late on Tuesday night after lengthy deliberations, marks a pivotal moment in Tunisia’s quest for justice and accountability. Chokri Belaïd, a prominent left-wing political figure and vocal critic [...]

In a significant move towards bolstering the United Kingdom’s commitment to preventing and responding to genocide and other atrocity crimes, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws has introduced the Genocide (Prevention and Response) Bill into the House of Lords. With its second reading on March 22, the bill promises to formalise and strengthen mechanisms for monitoring atrocity [...]

The fact that a person who committed an act which constitutes a crime under international law acted as Head of State or responsible Government official does not relieve him from responsibility under international law Principles of International Law Recognized in the Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal and in the Judgment of the Tribunal (1950) (Principle [...]

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 [...]

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFMI), mandated by the UN, concluded on Monday that the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody was unlawful and resulted from violence. The UN Human Rights Council established the mission in November 2022 to investigate alleged human rights violations in Iran. Its primary [...]

The lower house of the Spanish Parliament approved on Thursday a controversial legislative proposal granting amnesty for Catalan separatists involved in the 2017 independence bid. The proposed law seeks to “put an end to judicial processes and sentences” against anyone who took part in the Catalan independence campaign that took place between November 1, 2011 [...]

To date, America’s greatest contribution to the world has been its Constitution. The importance of this document far surpasses such other cultural achievements as the Moon landing, the telephone, GPS, rubber vulcanization, and Henry Ford’s mass production lines. It is more important, even, than Gone With the Wind, and the hamburger — even though this [...]

The UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi raised the issue last month of Hong Kong’s new Article 23 national security proposals, which have been a subject of considerable controversy and debate in recent years. The Article 23 law in Hong Kong’s Basic Law stipulates that the [...]

The Court of First Instance of Tunis sentenced prominent opposition figure Jawher Ben Mbarek to six months in prison, his sister and lawyer Dalila Ben Mbarek Masddek announced in a live video on Facebook on Saturday. The case was brought by the Independent Higher Authority for Elections (ISIE) against Ben Mbarek regarding his criticism of [...]