The US Supreme Court Launches a Human Rights Counterrevolution
“You seem to consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions; a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy.” ― Thomas Jefferson A recent series of radically partisan judicial decisions by the United States Supreme Court heralds the first rollback of fundamental human rights [...]
What is Happening in Sri Lanka? The dynasty has fallen. After protesters stormed the presidential palace and the private residences of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapakse and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the former announced his resignation while the latter offered to follow suit. For some, the anger burgeoned as Sri Lanka‘s economy spiraled into a [...]
Before the United States withdrew its forces from Afghanistan last August, Najla Raheel was a busy lawyer specializing in assisting victims of domestic violence. She dedicated her free time to serving on legislative committees to strengthen protections for women’s rights. She also served in the upper echelons of the country’s nascent independent bar association. But [...]
How to Indict Vladimir Putin, According to a War Crimes Prosecutor (video)
As the horrors of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continue to unfold, world leaders are calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin to face prosecution before an international tribunal. Professor David M. Crane of Syracuse University College of Law has the rare distinction of having previously prosecuted a standing president in his role as Chief Prosecutor of [...]
Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Is the Result of Its Own Failure to 'Denazify'
In April 1940, in what would come to be known as the Katyn Massacre, members of the feared Soviet secret police force, the NKVD, began the systematic murders of more than 21,000 Polish prisoners of war. The victims of the massacre — which, in addition to military officers, included many civilians — were buried by [...]
Putin's Invasion of Ukraine: A Desperate Gamble to Reverse a String of Failures
In the days that have passed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many have questioned the implications of this unchecked aggression against a sovereign nation for the post-war international order. Fears have proliferated that international justice is dead, that autocracy has won. But a closer look reveals that this invasion is the product of weakness, not [...]
“Lawyers have the courage to speak up. Lawyers are educated. Lawyers are the people that can object to whatever dark policies would like to implement. is going to start very soon. It’s going to be really, really terrible, even compared to what we have seen so far,” warns Saeeq Shajjan, a corporate attorney from Kabul. [...]
Interview: Canadian Law Firm Partners Help Afghan Lawyers Flee Taliban
Months have passed since the Taliban reclaimed control of Afghanistan amid the chaotic final chapter of the United States’ 20-year war in the country. Yet many thousands of the Afghan citizens who provided critical assistance to Washington and other foreign governments and international organizations over the past two decades now find themselves targeted for this [...]
As the diplomatic and military consequences of the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan continue to unfold, the true human cost remains immeasurable. Months after the last US forces departed from Kabul, leaving the country under Taliban rule, many face persecution for having upheld the very democratic ideals Washington and its allies spent two decades fostering [...]
On Sunday, a group of young Afghan lawyers gathered in a Kabul hotel to hold a press conference about the importance of an independent legal profession and respect for the rule of law in Afghanistan. As they prepared to go live, their plans were thwarted by two carloads of armed Taliban. This was the latest [...]
