Former Philadelphia Police Officer Edsaul Mendoza, accused of shooting an unarmed 12-year-old, pleaded guilty to 3rd-degree murder on Friday, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s Office. In March 2022, Mendoza shot Thomas “TJ” Siderio during a “tactically unsound” foot pursuit. The former officer had been charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, [...]
Search Results for: self-defense
NGOs Like World Central Kitchen Must Do More to Protect War Zone Aid Workers
Without irony, Chef Jose Andres of World Central Kitchen (WCK) accused Israel of a “crime against humanity” in the recent accidental deaths of seven WCK volunteers by an Israeli air strike in Gaza. His accusation has generated a furious, and troubling discussion — focused on Israel’s culpability. US President Joe Biden claimed Israel has not [...]
Hong Kong court sentences accountant involved in Yuen Long mob attack to 33 months prison
The District Court of Hong Kong sentenced Hong Kong accountant Jacky Ho Tsan-kei on Wednesday to 33 months in prison on rioting charges. This is the first time an individual not a part of the white-shirted group that conducted the Yuen Long mob attack on July 21, 2019 has been sentenced in connection with the [...]
Decisions and Revisions: Israeli Nuclear Deterrence and War With Iran
“In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions which a minute/will reverse” —T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Though much has been published about both military and legal elements of Israeli nuclear deterrence, not much has been written about the specific ways in which these core elements could conceivably intersect. [...]
Uganda made international headlines this week as its Constitutional Court upheld the bulk of a draconian law that would impose the death sentence for “aggravated homosexuality.” But for LGBTQ+ activists within the country, the death penalty isn’t the only specter that looms in the judgment’s aftermath. Over the past 15 years, Ugandan authorities have endeavored [...]
Bahamas police announce shooting death of prominent opposition party politician
The Royal Bahamas Police Force announced on Thursday that they are investigating a shooting incident that killed former Bahamian parliamentarian and deputy chairman of the Free National Movement Party Donald Saunders. According to the police, the shooting occurred before 9:00 PM local time on Wednesday in Gambier Village. Saunders was seated outside a business establishment [...]
Yonatan Shapira is an ex-captain and pilot in the Israeli Air Force. In 2003, he helped coordinate the circulation of a letter that was signed by 27 Israeli Air Force pilots expressing their refusal to engage in Israeli military actions targeting Palestinians. Additionally, Shapira has endorsed the domestic Israeli movement supporting Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions [...]
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed 30 pieces of legislation Tuesday related to the state regulation of guns. Though all related to guns, the vetoed bills ranged in topic, from criminalizing the dealing of guns near primary schools to requiring fingerprinting for a concealed weapons permit. In a press release, Youngkin stated that these laws “would punish [...]
Donald Trump's Immunity Argument From the Standpoint of International Law
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 [...]
Explainer Part II: The Israel-Hamas War and the International Court of Justice
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 [...]