Putting the Cart before the Horse?
04.02.2025
On 3rd October 2024, Mauritius and the United Kingdom published a Joint Statement on both governments’ websites (UK.gov and govmu.org). This political agreement addresses the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands,...
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XX (b), (g) and Everything in Between
27.01.2025
The interaction between trade and climate has become a legal and geopolitical hotbed. The European Union (‘EU’) recently decided to introduce a carbon tariff, which would result in hiked prices...
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Seabed Warfare
24.01.2025
Countless submarine cables are the communicative backbone of a globalized world of states. Today they form a “new front line”. The same can be said of other elements of critical...
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UNRWA, Gaza and the Recent Request for an Advisory Opinion
23.01.2025
After more than a year of hostilities, there are no appropriate words to describe the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The situation is beyond the imaginable and every word that could...
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Divergent Digital Futures
17.01.2025
In the last decade, countries have made efforts at both regional and international levels to clarify their positions regarding the application of international law to information and communication technology in...
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Ecocide as the Fifth International Crime
16.01.2025
The international criminal law framework could soon expand to include ‘ecocide’—the arbitrary, severe, and either widespread or long-term destruction of ecosystems. On September 9, 2024, Fiji, Samoa, and Vanuatu submitted...
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Forum of Mayors
14.01.2025
For the fourth year in a row, conference room XXII in the Palais des Nations in Geneva changes guard and the delegate seats usually assumed by States are filled in...
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La Destruction de la « Victime Idéale »
09.01.2025
Avec le récent rapport d'Amnesty International sur le génocide en Palestine et les mandats d'arrêt de la Cour Pénale Internationale (CPI), les violences sexuelles et sexistes (VSS) pourraient enfin recevoir...
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Crushing the “Ideal Victim”
09.01.2025
Amid the recent Amnesty International report on genocide in Palestine and the ICC arrest warrants, it is to be hoped that sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) will now receive increased...
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The ECT’s Long Road to Modernisation
19.12.2024
On 3 December 2024, the Energy Charter Conference (ECC) adopted the amendments to modernise the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). It was concluded in the 1990s mainly to protect energy investments,...
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Proxy Wars and International Criminal Law
17.12.2024
José Manuel Aznar Puyalto
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there has been a resurgence in the discussions around aggression and the homonym crime. However, the debate has mainly centred around...
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Eurocentrism in Ukraine’s Ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
16.12.2024
Ukraine’s ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (hereinafter, the ICC Statute) has reignited the war of words over the pros and cons of this decision. Domestically,...
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Nagorno-Karabakh
13.12.2024
The September 2023 mass displacement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, widely characterized as ethnic cleansing, reignites the critical debate on the limits of self-determination under international law. The extreme oppression faced...
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Climate of Justice
12.12.2024
Abhijeet Shrivastava
Aastha Kapoor
Increasingly, litigants recognize the strategic and discursive utility of using human rights proceedings in the fight against climate change. One of the key issues here is the pursuit of remedies...
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The ITLOS Advisory Opinion on Climate Change
11.12.2024
Laisa Branco de Almeida
Julia Cirne Lima Weston
On 12 December 2022, the Commission of Small Island States (COSIS) submitted a request for an advisory opinion to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS or...
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Somewhere, Beyond the Sea
05.12.2024
Maximilian Beyer
Maira Sophie Müller
On 3rd October 2024, the UK and Mauritius announced a historic agreement on the issue of the disputed Chagos Islands. Subject to a future treaty, the UK will hand over...
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Legal Echoes
03.12.2024
Lisa Wiese
Adrian Schildheuer
For the second time in twenty years, the ICJ emphasized third states’ obligations arising from Israel’s violation of self-determination and other erga omnes obligations. The July 2024 Advisory Opinion (AO)...
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The Conundrum of the Komstroy Declaration
27.11.2024
The European Union (EU) appears relieved by the CJEU’s Komstroy decision, viewing it as a means to exit all pending and future intra-EU arbitrations under the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT)....
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Remaining Tensions Between the “Global Souths” and the “Global Norths”
26.11.2024
Tejas Rao
Renatus Otto Franz Derler
The Convention on Biological Diversity gained increased momentum with the establishment of the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) which aimed to address the limitations of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets...
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UNGA-Resolution 2758
25.11.2024
Im Oktober 2024 nahm das Europäische Parlament (EP) eine Resolution an, in der es China anschuldigt, Resolution 2758 der Vollversammlung der Vereinten Nationen (UNGA) mit dem Ziel fehlzuinterpretieren, Taiwans Beteiligung...
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Die europäische Verteidigungspolitik am Scheideweg
18.11.2024
Der Aufstieg autoritärer, rechtsnationaler und/oder populistischer Parteien in den Mitgliedstaaten der Europäischen Union hält schon seit mehreren Jahren an. Eine Stagnation dieser Entwicklung ist für die nahe Zukunft nicht abzusehen....
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A Silver Lining of the US Election?
09.11.2024
So Trump won. Pollsters predicted 50:50 chances for both candidates just before the election (see e.g. here and here). But it was not to be: Donald Trump won in a...
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America Reimagined
04.11.2024
Frederike Kanschat
Gordon Friedrichs
Traditionally viewed as a leader in upholding a rules-based international order, the U.S. saw its global role fundamentally challenged during Donald Trump’s first presidency. Trump's "America First" approach disrupted international...
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DSI – What?!
01.11.2024
The use of DSI (Digital Sequence Information) is one of the hot topics discussed at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16), taking place...
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Oh Captain, whose Captain?
31.10.2024
Als eines der zentralen Prinzipien des Seevölkerrechts regelt das Flaggenstaatsprinzip die Verantwortung über Schiffe auf See. Nach Art. 5 (1) des Internationalen Abkommens über die Hohe See von 1958 (IAHS)...
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Boycotts, Divestments, and Sanctions
30.10.2024
Over the past few months, visitors to Cairo have encountered an unusual sight: once-bustling fast-food chains like McDonald's and KFC now stand eerily empty. Similar scenes have been reported in other Muslim-majority...
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On Genocide, Amidst the Shouting, Silence is the Message
29.10.2024
Speaking in May at a celebration of Jewish Heritage Month, President Biden denounced the decision earlier that month by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek arrest...
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When Does the Obligation to Comply with Provisional Measures End?
28.10.2024
In the pending case of Allegations of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation) before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the question arises as to the effect of the ICJ’s partial...
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A Complex Relationship
24.10.2024
In Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Nicaragua v. Germany), Nicaragua took Germany to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for alleged violations...
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The Cost of Silence
22.10.2024
The recent comments by the Indian Government reaffirming the marital exemptions carved out within the provisions on rape in Indian criminal law is a distressing reminder of the appalling condition...
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Germany’s Abortion Regulation: A Relic of the Past?
15.10.2024
As countries around the world make strides in securing abortion rights, Germany's abortion law remains a relic of the past. Is it time to abolish these outdated regulations and to...
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Let Those Without Sin Cast the First Stone
12.09.2024
It has been said that “satellites don’t have mothers”. However, a nuclear-material-laden satellite detonating in space could have consequences that produce ripple effects on global peace and security. This threat...
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Bilateral Investment Treaties as a Tool for Global Climate Governance?
11.09.2024
International Investment Law (IIL) has long been understood as counterproductive to adopting effective climate change policy. As IIL aims for predictable investment protection, International Climate Change Law (ICCL) requires flexibility...
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Is It Time?
10.09.2024
While the UN and almost every region around the world have explicitly recognized the right to a healthy environment, there is one region that still lacks this right: Europe. But...
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Louisiana’s Castration Law
28.07.2024
While Louisiana’s new castration law aims to deter sexual offences, it raises ethical and legal concerns because it infringes upon international human rights norms such as bodily autonomy and informed...
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Closing Channels
26.07.2024
Sué González Hauck
Isabel Lischewski
In this piece, we offer some reflections on our time as Editors-in-Chief at Völkerrechtsblog. In doing so, we do not speak for the blog as a whole, but also not...
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Adding to the List
24.07.2024
International support for Israel has been declining in light of the duration and scale of its military offensive in Gaza. Recent events have contributed to this trend, culminating in the...
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Remembrance Day for No One?
11.07.2024
Tim Huyeng
Selin Schumacher
Commemoration tends to fail, and memorial days often lead to disappointment. The "International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica," enshrined in UN Resolution A/78/L.67/Rev.1, has...
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Gedenktag für Niemanden?
11.07.2024
Tim Huyeng
Selin Schumacher
Gedenken tendiert zum Scheitern und Gedenktage zur Enttäuschung. Mit dem „International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica“ manifestiert sich in UN-Resolution A/78/L.67/Rev.1 ein globaler Aufhänger...
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Statt dem Keil der Selbstverteidigung das feine Messer der Nothilfe
10.07.2024
Die Pflicht zur Hilfeleistung auf See ist eine seit langem etablierte Regel des Seevölkerrechts, die auf der zentralen Einsicht beruht, dass es auch auf See das Leben zu schützen gilt....
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War against Women
28.06.2024
The Orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the Israeli military operation in Gaza have been widely discussed from numerous perspectives (see here, here, and here). However, the...
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Krieg gegen Frauen
28.06.2024
Die Beschlüsse des Internationalen Gerichtshofs (IGH) zur israelischen Militäroperation in Gaza sind inzwischen aus zahlreichen Perspektiven diskutiert worden (siehe etwa hier, hier und hier). Wenig Beachtung hat dabei jedoch ein...
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Closure of Protection Gaps?
18.06.2024
Livia Benschu
Alexandra Lily Kather
On Thursday, June 6, 2024, the German Parliament adopted the Federal Government's draft bill on the further development of international criminal law as amended by the Committee on Legal Affairs....
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Victims’ Perspective on the Development of Enforced Disappearances by Non-State Actors
17.06.2024
In May 2023, the Committee on Enforced Disappearances addressed the issue of non-state actors in the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances (ICPPED). They aimed...
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“Pax Falastini”
10.06.2024
Since the conception of the Zionist state in Herzl’s utopia, the relationship between Israel and Palestine has been the thermometer of global politics: Early socialist experiments, 19th century state-building fantasies,...
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Nicaragua’s Suit against Germany May Be Good as Gold (Part II)
07.06.2024
In Part I of this blog piece, it was explained that Nicaragua is suing Germany over Germany’s shipment of armaments to Israel. Part I recounted that Germany seeks dismissal of...
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Nicaragua’s Suit against Germany May Be Good as Gold (Part I)
06.06.2024
This two-part piece analyzes the legal viability of Nicaragua’s suit against Germany in the International Court of Justice over shipment of armaments from Germany to Israel. Nicaragua claims that those...
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Reinventing an ‘Unfortunate Invention’
06.06.2024
Kusha Grover
Akaanksha Singh
‘It appears that each one feels free to interpret so-called “plausibility” of rights in the way one feels like; this may be due to the fact that the Court’s majority...
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A Tale of Two Conflicts
05.06.2024
On the morning of 20 May 2024, a legal earthquake sent its shockwaves through the world: The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) officially announced that it...
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ECtHR Favours 1.5-Degree Limit
05.06.2024
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled in Verein Klimaseniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland that the protection of life and health under Article 8 ECHR against climate...
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(Re-)Discoveries in a ‘Lost’ Text
04.06.2024
“Problems of international law in particular are still all too often discussed within national circles. The contributors and staff of journals normally come from more or less the same State....
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Racialised Climate Justice
01.06.2024
9 April 2024 was a big day for international lawyers. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rendered judgment in three major climate change cases. One of these much-anticipated decisions,...
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‘Where is Martti Koskenniemi?’
25.05.2024
To set rather an authentic atmosphere before or while reading the blog post, the author suggests the following artistic pieces to consult (here, here, here). The recommended pieces demonstrate that...
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The A Sud v. Italy Case after the KlimaSeniorinnen Judgment
24.05.2024
Just as climate litigation is on the rise globally, increasingly more climate cases are brought before Italian courts. On February 26, 2024, the Civil Tribunal of Rome has rendered its...
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Expanding the Limits of Genocidal Intent
18.05.2024
Traversing the labyrinthine corridors of the Peace Palace, we confront the question of the elusive nature of genocidal intent in the case of South Africa v. Israel. Genocide, just like...
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Crossfire Commerce
16.05.2024
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has drawn in numerous foreign actors and impacted trade, leading to proposed trade sanctions against parties like Israel (such as Turkey’s trade ban), Iran, and...
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Who Cares About Public Interest?
15.05.2024
The preceding year presented formidable challenges for freedom of expression and affiliated freedoms in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BaH): an attack on LGBT+ community members, the draft statute on online disinformation...
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Yet to Be Deployed?
14.05.2024
It was with a single remark that the Agent of the Republic of Nicaragua concluded the German reservation had “no application” (para. 23) in the proceedings instituted on 1 March...
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Der kurze Atem der deutschen Strafverfolgungsbehörden
13.05.2024
Deutschland beansprucht seit einigen Jahren eine Vorreiterrolle in der Strafverfolgung von Völkerstraftaten. Doch die Ermittlungspraxis zu internationalen Verbrechen in Belarus zeigt erneut: Dieser Anspruch gilt nicht für alle Situationen gleichermaßen....
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Settler Violence Through the Lens of State Responsibility
24.04.2024
Since 7 October 2023, public attention partially shifted away from the situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. However, UNRWA has released alarming numbers: 444 civilians have been killed...
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Whether “Absolute” Means Absolute
23.04.2024
On 26 February 2024, the Armenian Cassation Court published a decision following its earlier requested advisory opinion from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on the applicability of statutes...
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Targeting the Assets of the Russian Central Bank
22.04.2024
In response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, western States have frozen around €250bn worth of assets of the Russian Central Bank (RCB). More than two years after the invasion, scholars...
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Resisting the Allure of Future Generations’ Rights
19.04.2024
On 9 April 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) delivered much-anticipated judgments in three emblematic climate change cases: Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and others v. Switzerland, Carême v. France,...
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Who’s Afraid of Human Rights in War? (Part II)
18.04.2024
In Part I of this response, I addressed the background of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the fact pattern of Narayan and Others v. Azerbaijan before the European Court of Human...
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Who’s Afraid of Human Rights in War? (Part I)
17.04.2024
From the ravaged streets of Gaza to the decimated cities of Ukraine, the calamitous consequences of disavowing international human rights law (IHRL) in situations of armed conflict have seldom been...
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Technical International Law
16.04.2024
There seems to be a mismatch. The horror in Gaza. The composure in The Hague. Civilians raped and killed or abducted by Hamas, Palestinian women and girls arbitrarily executed or...
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No Global Climate Justice from this Court
15.04.2024
On 9 April 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (the Court) published its rulings in three climate change cases. Certainly, the judgments will be considered as historical. Not only...
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Votes, Vetoes, and Vested Interests
10.04.2024
Shagnik Mukherjea
Sarthak Sahoo
The International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory proceedings regarding the Legal Consequences Arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem have featured...
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Impact of a Constitutionally Recognized Right to Abortion
02.04.2024
Amélie Beauchemin
Louise Boulet
Earlier this month, France adopted a unique and progressive measure, becoming the only country in the world to recognize the freedom to have an abortion in its Constitution. The Constitutional...
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Is the Harmonisation of IHL and IHRL Eroding?
18.03.2024
Editor's note: a two-part rebuttal to this piece by Mischa Gureghian Hall has been published on Völkerrechtsblog (see Part I and Part II). On 19 December 2023, the European...
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A Beacon of Hope or a Dead End
12.03.2024
Introduction: In the past few months, India’s labour unions have been in a state of turmoil due to the Framework Agreement for Temporary Employment of Indian Workers in Specific Labour...
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Victims of Gender-Based Violence: Between Hope and Reality
11.03.2024
Anna Kompatscher
Katia Hamann
Alexandra Kempf
On 16 January 2024, the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU” or “the Court”) clarified in C-621/21 (“WS”) that women, when victims of gender-based...
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The EU’s ‘My Way or the Highway’ Approach?
09.03.2024
The multilateral trading system continues to be in an uncertain state due to the ongoing Appellate Body crisis. The US has been incessantly blocking new judicial appointments over systemic concerns...
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An Instrument of Extortion?
31.01.2024
On August 6th 2020, US senators drafted an open letter threatening German companies involved in constructing the new gas pipeline Nord Stream II with sanctions. Nord Stream II is the...
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Progress or Patchwork?
17.01.2024
Germany has received widespread acclaim for its domestic implementation of international criminal law (ICL) in the German Code on Crimes against International Law (Völkerstrafgesetzbuch) and for completing multiple universal jurisdiction...
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Fortschritt oder Flickwerk?
17.01.2024
In Hinblick auf die kommunikative Offenheit der Verfahren hat die deutsche Strafjustiz die avisierte „Vorreiterrolle“ bei der Verfolgung von Völkerrechtsverbrechen bisher nicht einnehmen können. Anders als in anderen europäischen Staaten,...
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Telling Stories at the International Court of Justice
16.01.2024
The provisional measures hearings in South Africa v. Israel, held on 11 and 12 January 2024, were watched by an audience in the tens of thousands. The Hindustan Times feed...
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Indignity Trending
15.01.2024
Hamas’ assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s scorched-earth response in Gaza, has captivated global audiences for over three months. The staggering loss of life and the brazen...
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First Trial for Crimes Against Humanity in The Gambia Comes to an End
21.12.2023
Susann Aboueldahab
Inês Freixo
Rodolfo González Espinosa
On 30 November 2023, the first trial worldwide to address crimes against humanity committed in The Gambia during the ruling of former president Yahya Jammeh (1994 to 2016) came to...
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International Rights of Nature
14.12.2023
Rights of nature have experienced a major upswing in recent years (for an overview of legal developments, see here). Starting with a local ordinance in the US state of Pennsylvania...
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Extraordinary, Extraterritorially
13.12.2023
It is well known that the European Union (EU) uses its economic levers to maximize pressure on the Russian Federation. In order to reach its goals, the EU not merely...
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From Grotius to von der Leyen
11.12.2023
Dawit Frick
Benedikt Leidner
Sanctions have been on the forefront of media coverage for some time now. Just this 26th November, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on a Russian couple facing prosecution in Munich over...
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Wann wird das Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz erwachsen?
30.11.2023
Kajo Kramp
Moritz Drescher
Mette Steffen
Laura Valdivia
Das Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz (AsylbLG) ist, nach den inhaltlich falschen – und zu Recht stark kritisierten – Äußerungen von Friedrich Merz zur medizinischen Versorgung von Asylbewerber:innen, pünktlich zu seinem Geburtstag ins Zentrum...
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Transboundary Elements of Crime
24.11.2023
On 12 October, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) addressed the humanitarian and human rights crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh in response to the Azerbaijani military operation that commenced...
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Teaching International Law in the Middle East
20.11.2023
The first day of this semester happens to be October 8th – a difficult day to start a course on international law, I think to myself, fearing Israel’s response as...
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#MPIL100
14.11.2023
Philipp Glahé
Alexandra Kemmerer
Science often begins with a coincidence. Or more precisely: a moment of serendipity, that happy opportunity that enables and produces knowledge in the seemingly unintentional coincidence of constellation and event....
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An Inclusive International Court of Justice
10.11.2023
On the 24th of October, the Information Department of the International Court of Justice (‘ICJ’ or ‘the Court’) published a press release, announcing that the Court had amended its Rules,...
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Equality as Integral
08.11.2023
Duarte Agostinho, the ‘biggest-yet climate case’ before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has, among other things, framed climate change as an issue of inequality....
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Back to the Future: Viewing Emerging Climate Risk Through a Precautionary Lens
26.10.2023
Naimeh Masumy
Amanda J. Lee
This piece explores the utility of the precautionary principle as a tool available to investment tribunals tasked with assessing measures adopted by States to address climate-related risks. To date, little...
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Bridging Jurisprudence and Ecology
25.10.2023
Earlier this year, the United Nations General Assembly filed a request for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice following the adoption resolution on 29 March. The request...
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The Stateless Paradox
23.10.2023
Climate change poses many challenges for International Law. One issue that has become the subject of much discussion in both academic discourse and in political practice is the unique situation...
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Palestine – Israel: Context Matters!
20.10.2023
The horrific attacks against Israel by Hamas on 7.10.2023, killing 1,300 Israelis and kidnapping 199 Israeli and foreign hostages into Gaza, raises the question: how did we get here? This...
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Analysing Potential Investor-State Treaty Challenges to the OECD’s Pillar Two Model Tax Rules
18.10.2023
The Pillar Two Model Rules constitute the second part of an initiative, which refers to the broader effort led by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to address...
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Western Sahara: Questions of Neutrality?
16.10.2023
For decades, Algeria has been the major supporter of the Sahrawi liberation movement (Frente Polisario) in its struggle against Moroccan occupying forces. This support not only takes place on the...
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Why a Court Alone Won’t Bring Us to Heaven
12.10.2023
On 27 September 2023, the case of Duarte Agostinho and Others v. Portugal and 32 Others (no. 39371/20) was heard by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human...
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Children as Agents of Change
05.10.2023
The Committee on the Rights of the Child (Committee) has recently published its new General Comment No. 26 (GC26) on Children’s rights and the environment with a special focus on...
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The Signing Ceremony Begins
04.10.2023
In March 2023, the treaty text of the new Treaty on Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (‘the BBNJ Agreement’) was approved at the United Nations in New York, marking...
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Closing Doors to Investor-State Dispute Settlement
02.10.2023
Global South countries have often asserted that Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) ensnare them, culminating in manifestations of neocolonialism, where their populations endure poverty while foreign corporations profit from their vast...
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From Rome with Love?
14.09.2023
Maximilian Alexander Mitter
Julius Christoph Nippert
The 21st July judgment of the Italian Corte Costituzionale could bring an end to everyone’s favorite immunity dispute. “Jurisdictional Immunities 2.0” came into being when Germany instituted proceedings in 2022...
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