Here’s the international legal news we covered this week:
[JURIST] The foreign secretary of Bangladesh and the
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) [official website]
signed [press release] a Memorandum of Understanding on Friday to cement their agreement that Rohingya refugees should be able to voluntarily return to Myanmar when the country’s conditions improve.
The
Council of the European Union [official website] voted unanimously on Thursday to
extend its sanctions [press release] against Iran by one-year because of human rights violations.
The sanctions, now extended until 13 April 2019, include:
asset freeze and visa bans for individuals and entities responsible for grave human rights violations ban on exports to Iran of equipment which might be used for internal repression and of equipment for monitoring telecommunications
The EU initially adopted sanctions [materials] towards Iran in 2006, following a series of UN Security Council Resolutions aimed at the country’s nuclear program.
The
European Court of Justice (ECJ) [official website] on Thursday
ruled [judgment] that an unaccompanied minor who turns eighteen during the asylum procedure remains entitled to family unification, provided the application for family reunification is filed within three months of the recognition of the minor’s refugee status.
Those who reach the age of majority during this process will still be regarded as minors [press release] despite their age.
A UN
report [text, PDF] published Tuesday
detailed [press release] the conditions of thousands of people are being held in Libya, describing them as human rights violations.
According to the report, released by the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website] about 6,500 people are being held in official prisons, but thousands are being detained in facilities controlled by armed groups.
The
European Court of Justice (ECJ) [official website] on Tuesday
ruled [judgment] that the French government may proceed with a case in which local Uber managers are facing criminal charges for running an illegal taxicab service.
International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on Monday
filed a motion [PDF] with the president of the Court’s Pre-Trial Division seeking a ruling on whether the Court may exercise jurisdiction over the alleged deportation of the Rohingya people from Myanmar to Bangladesh, which Bensouda contends is actionable under Article 7(1)(d) of the
Rome Statute [text].
South Korean prosecutors formally charged jailed ex-president
Lee Myung-Bak [Reuters profile] on Monday with a slew of corruption charges, including bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.
International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] chief prosecutor
Fatou Bensouda [official website]
called [press release] Sunday for an end to the violence that has recently taken place in the Gaza Strip and raised the possibility of ICC prosecutions against Israel and Hamas.
In her statement, Bensouda cautioned both sides about the “deteriorating situation” that has engulfed the region:
Since 30 March 2018, at least 27 Palestinians have been reportedly killed by the Israeli Defence Forces, with over a thousand more injured, many, as a result of shootings using live ammunition and rubber-bullets.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday
expressed concern [press release] over renewed violence and reports of chemical weapons attacks against civilians in Douma, Syria.
According to Guterres, he has received reports of airstrikes and shelling, violence resulting in civilians’ death, destruction of property, and allegations of chemical weapons attack against civilians.
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