A report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council this week shines a distressing light on the catastrophic human toll and the systematic destruction in Gaza following military operations by Israel. In the report, entitled Anatomy of a Genocide, Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, detailed the toll of the staggering loss of life, [...]
The US prides itself on being a nation built on freedom, justice, and individual rights. And yet the evolution of its system of mass incarceration — a system that cannot be defined without reference to shocking racial disparities — seems to directly contradict these founding principles. The US prison population dwarfs those of nearly every other [...]
The US Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday in a case concerning the authorization and regulation of the abortion pill mifepristone at a time when reproductive rights are at the heart of political division and changing policies across the nation. At the center of the case is the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine’s lawsuit against the Food [...]
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 [...]
In recent days, an unusual state border-security law has ricocheted back and forth between US federal courts, introducing novel questions of state and federal supremacy. Long disgruntled over the federal government’s perceived inadequate efforts to curb illegal immigration along its southern border, Texas enacted a state law that would enable it to take action in [...]
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 [...]
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) on Monday accused the US of orchestrating a covert campaign to interfere with the upcoming Russian presidential election, set to take place on Mar. 15-17. The spy agency claims the administration of US President Joe Biden has ordered a group of American NGOs to stifle voter turnout in a bid [...]
This piece has been corrected to reflect the fact that Russia only attempted to issue Red Notices against Bill Browder eight times. An erroneous claim that Russia accounts for 33 percent of all Red Notices was also removed, along with one that stated INTERPOL’s data processing policy for refugees is new. An INTERPOL spokesperson reached [...]
The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that frozen embryos are children. What does this mean? And how might the ruling reverberate as the US grapples with reproductive rights in a post-Roe world? In this explainer, we will explore these issues and their possible implications. As succinctly as possible, what was this case about? LePage v. [...]
Publisher and activist Julian Assange appealed to London’s High Court this week in a last-ditch effort to avoid extradition to the US to face espionage charges. Following the hearing which spanned Tuesday and Wednesday, judges will consider whether Assange can appeal an earlier ruling ordering his extradition from the UK to the US, where he [...]
