Unanchoring Universality
31.10.2025
Since early September 2025, the United States (US) has been attacking vessels allegedly carrying drugs, killing at least 57 people to date. These extrajudicial killings raise numerous questions under both...
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Make Journalists Afraid Again?
20.10.2025
As it already attempted towards the end of its first term in 2020, the Trump administration is currently planning to radically restrict the visas granted to foreign journalists. Under a...
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The South China Sea
10.10.2025
In December 2024, the Philippines’ new navy chief suggested that the Philippines’ military could adopt its own “gray zone” operations in the South China Sea (SCS) to counter those used...
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Still (Stereo-)Typing..?
29.09.2025
The impact of harmful stereotypes on the enjoyment of human rights is increasingly acknowledged in the human rights discourse. However, the exact legal scope of States’ obligations to combat harmful...
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Testing NATO’s Resolve
25.09.2025
In the early morning hours of 10 September, Russia launched at least 19 Shahed-like Gerlan drones as well as smaller Gerbera decoy drones from both its own territory and Belarus...
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- Symposium
- Bofaxe
- Revisiting Customary IHL: The ICRC Study at 20
Beyond Headcounts
19.09.2025
Editor’s Note: This post is part of a symposium relating to the ICRC's customary international humanitarian law study, featured across Articles of War and Völkerrechtsblog. The introductory post is available...
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Beyond the Reactor
25.07.2025
Aaron Dumont
Kai Budelmann
With Israel’s strikes against Iranian territory on June 13, 2025, the long-simmering confrontation between Israel and Iran has escalated into open hostilities, marking a dangerous new phase in their conflict....
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Deregulating Due Diligence?
24.07.2025
On June 5, the AfD, a German far-right party, introduced a draft law to abolish the European Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act...
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Oceans and UNCLOS – Full of Life?
21.07.2025
Lukas Herich
Katharina Thiehoff
The International Law Commission (ILC) has adopted its report of the 76th session on 30 of May 2025 and since 9 June, an advance unofficial version of the 2025 ILC Report...
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Who Is Responsible for Our Human Rights?
16.07.2025
A major earthquake (7.7 magnitude) which hit Mandalay, Myanmar on Friday, March 28, 2025, has caused a death toll of more than 3,700 and has led to chaos with many...
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The End of ‘Contactless Control’ or the Time to Overcome Jurisdictional Constraints?
11.07.2025
On June 12, 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (‘Court’) published its much-anticipated ruling on the application of S.S. and Others v. Italy. And, in fact, the Court opted for an...
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Protecting the VIP (Very Important Premises) at All Costs
08.07.2025
As all things in life, diplomatic missions come with up- and downsides. Being the singled-out representation in inter-state relations allows for unique political contacts, but also oftentimes provokes protestors to...
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Et Tu, U2?
19.06.2025
If you were using social media around September 2023, there’s an excellent chance you’ve already seen images or videos of the newly opened Las Vegas Sphere, an 18,000-capacity music and...
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Deutschland im DämMerzustand?
05.06.2025
Niklas von Estorff
Lukas Herich
Die Regierung der 21. Legislaturperiode, bestehend aus einer Koalition von CDU, CSU und SPD, wurde am 06.05. vereidigt und Friedrich Merz zum 10. Bundeskanzler gewählt. Die Besuche in Warschau, Paris...
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Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Accord Explained
29.05.2025
The global reserve currency is weakening, US stock prices have fallen dramatically, and global growth is slowing significantly. The reason for this is the new US trade strategy: imposing high...
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Hiding in Plain Sight
27.05.2025
Continuing an ongoing trend, 2025 has so far been a challenging year for international refugee law. In the United States, the new administration began what it promised to become the...
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Sacred Days, Silent Guns?
19.05.2025
The relationship between religion and international humanitarian law (IHL) has been the subject of academic study for decades: Rules of IHL are reflected in the teachings of most if not...
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From Denial to Accountability
12.05.2025
Sissy Katsoni
Mariana Gkliati
A long-denied reality by the Greek authorities is now on court record. Through its judgement in A.R.E. v Greece the European Court of Human Rights (Court) has confirmed the longstanding...
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Are All Options Exhausted?
19.03.2025
Following the European Parliament's resolution on the situation of Afghan women after implementation of the Virtue and Vice Law, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on 4th October 2024...
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Germany’s Expulsion Policy
12.03.2025
In her book, “The Origins of Totalitarianism”, Hannah Arendt noted that “[s]overeignty is nowhere more absolute than in matters of emigration, naturalization, nationality and expulsion”. While exercising sovereignty by way...
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- Symposium
- Bofaxe
- Women in International Law Vol. 4
Safety, Privacy, Self-ID
06.03.2025
Germany’s Self Determination Act (Selbstbestimmungsgesetz or SBGG), which came fully into force on the 1st of November 2024 is welcomed both by hope and concern globally. The new law has...
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Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric and Detaining the “Other”
27.02.2025
Fiza Lee-Winter
Selin Altay
Not a day goes by without increasing discrimination against refugees around the world. Sometimes, this takes the form of a U.S. president making baseless claims about refugees eating other people’s...
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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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Rest in Peace, Schengen!
23.10.2024
“We will therefore extend our temporary internal border controls to all German land borders”. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser announced that − after years of controls at the...
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Defending International Law in 2024
18.10.2024
We rarely talk about it, but we have all been there. Especially in recent times. Confronted by students, reporters and especially our domestic-law colleagues on the value of - international...
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Beyond Atrocities
17.09.2024
Priorities in international human rights are undergoing a significant transformation as a result of the growing preoccupation with “atrocity crimes”, argued recently New York University law professor and former UN...
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What Are Human Rights Worth to Bayer?
28.07.2024
“Respect for human rights is a task for society as a whole, for which we all – governments and companies as well as individuals – must take responsibility,” states Bayer,...
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The Great Barrier Reef and the List of World Heritage in Danger
25.07.2024
As the most extensive coral reef ecosystem of the world, the Great Barrier Reef was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1981. The effects of climate change, global warming,...
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Home Alone?
19.07.2024
Jona Höni
Yari-Lasse Jäger
On 20 May 2024 Karim Khan, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced that he was seeking arrest warrants against Hamas leaders Yayha Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri...
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Tribunals, Treaties, and Turning Back Time
09.07.2024
In December 2023, Venezuelan voters were asked their opinion on questions regarding the Essequibo region and whether the territory, today part of Guyana, should be turned into a new Venezuelan...
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Statehood in Motion?
10.06.2024
As of recently the vast majority of states recognizes Palestine as one of them. With 143 votes in favor the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution ES-10/23 on 10 May 2024....
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Hello, Can You Hear Me?
07.06.2024
In March, the former Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights (“the Commissioner”), Dunja Mijatović, published a report, following up on her visit to Germany in November 2023, where she...
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UK-Rwanda Deal Pushed Through Parliament
24.05.2024
Jack Provan
Nadine Grünhagen
On 25 April 2024, the long-awaited Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 (Safety of Rwanda Act) received royal assent in the United Kingdom (UK). This followed months of...
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To Cide or Not to Cide – Ecocide, What Have You Started?
07.05.2024
The destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza since October 2023 has recently been described as being at an "unprecedented level" (UNCTAD Report, p. 9). According to the Guardian, 70% of...
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Klimaklagen
06.05.2024
„Klimaschutz jetzt Menschenrecht“. So formuliert es ein Kommentar in dem bekannten deutschen Rechtsmagazin LTO. Und das beschreibt tatsächlich ziemlich genau das, was der Europäische Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte (EGMR) am 09....
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The Indictment against Assange and Its Implications for the International Freedom of the Press
14.03.2024
Introduction Since 2009, the United States government has initiated 18 prosecutions related to media leaks under the Espionage Act, the most prominent one being the indictment of WikiLeaks founder Julian...
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- Symposium
- Bofaxe
- Women in International Law Vol. 3
Public Health as a Strategic Instrument
07.03.2024
Public health as a policy pursuit and a legally prescribed goal has consistently served as a veneer for the implementation of discriminatory policies. Migration laws and policies have also played...
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- Bofaxe
- Symposium
- Women in International Law Vol. 3
Indian Women v. Indian Armed Forces
06.03.2024
Sexual violence and crimes against women are commonplace in India. With judicial remedy running at a painfully slow pace, high-profile politicians condemning rapes is nothing but lip service to women...
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- Bofaxe
- Symposium
- Women in International Law Vol. 3
A Much-Needed Queer Look at International Humanitarian Law
04.03.2024
People with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities (SOGI) are particularly vulnerable in times of conflict. However, due to the gender binary it is based on, international humanitarian law (IHL)...
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How Do You Like Your Coffee? Green!
23.02.2024
More than two billion cups – that is the global amount of coffee we are consuming every day. Notwithstanding its value as a culinary treat and a remedy for staying...
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Echoes of Nakba
22.02.2024
On the 12th of October, Israel issued a military order for the residents of northern and central Gaza, encompassing a population of 1.1 million Gazans, to make their way to...
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Every Day Counts
06.02.2024
Dilara Karmen Yaman
Sabrina Seikh
Globally, approximately every seventh pregnancy worldwide results miscarriage, prompting a notable gap in legal discourse. This deficiency is exemplified by a critical issue: women in Germany who suffer a miscarriage...
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Germany and the Yazidis – Going back on a Promise?
05.02.2024
When Josefine Paul, the asylum minister of the state of North Rhine Westphalia (NRW), announced that NRW would provisionally suspend all deportations of Yazidi women and children to Iraq, this...
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Another Reason to Maintain Friendly Relations
01.02.2024
Julian Assange could soon face extradition to the United States. For years, this case has drawn public attention to the law and practice of extradition. This post briefly illustrates the...
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Drowning in Negligence
12.12.2023
Vanessa Bliecke
Carla Borck
In July 2021, Germany faced a critical test of its implementation of Article 11 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), specifically focusing on the protection...
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Taking Care of Other People’s History?
08.11.2023
Eric Rücker
Kai Budelmann
In October 2022, Russian military vehicles pulled up in Kherson, then occupied by the Russian armed forces to surround and secure two buildings. This raid was not a counter-resistance operation...
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Israel and Gaza in the Heat of the Moment
02.11.2023
On 7 October 2023, Hamas militants staged an unprecedented attack on Israel, indiscriminately launching thousands of rockets from Gaza into Israel, rampaging through villages and a music festival site, and...
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Prohibition of Racial Discrimination is not Enough
27.09.2023
On 27 June 2023, 17-year-old Nahel M. was fatally shot by police during a vehicle stop in Paris, sparking nationwide riots. On the basis of video evidence, a number of...
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- Bofaxe
- Symposium
- Progress and International Law: A Cursed Relationship?
Towards a Feminist Interpretation of the ECHR’s Provisions on Access to Abortion
21.09.2023
While applications regarding the incompatibility of deadly restrictive abortion policies with the European Convention on Human Rights (‘ECHR’) are piling up before the European Court of Human Rights (‘ECtHR’, ‘Court’),...
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Kein Geld für die Taliban
15.09.2023
Am vergangenen Montag, wohl kaum zufällig am 11. September, forderte ein Minister der Taliban-Regierung in einem Interview mit der NZZ Reparationszahlungen von Deutschland und kündigte an, Deutschland und weitere Bündnispartner...
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Not You Again!
07.09.2023
Mass surveillance has been a recurring issue before courts around the globe, including the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). In the last cases brought before the CJEU,...
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A ‘Clear’ War Crime Against the Environment?
28.07.2023
On the morning of June 6, 2023, the first news agencies reported that the Nova Kakhovka dam in the Russian-controlled area in southern Ukraine was destroyed. The spilling water masses...
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Dissecting the Debate on Cluster Munitions
21.07.2023
On July 7th, the Biden administration announced that it would be sending 155mm dual-purpose improved conventional munition (DPICM), a type of artillery-fired cluster munition, in its next military assistance package...
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International Problems Require International Answers
12.07.2023
This year, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is expected to deal with several climate change cases, through which the complainants seek to hold their countries of origin responsible...
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How the Committee on the Rights of the Child Paved the Way for Stronger Abortion Rights
05.07.2023
Sissy Katsoni
Vanessa Bliecke
On 13 June 2023, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CtRC) published its decision in the case of Camila v Peru (pseudonymised), marking a significant milestone in the...
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Don’t Screen Us Out?
16.06.2023
Last month the legal team of Heidi Crowter, an activist with Down’s Syndrome who (so far unsuccessfully) challenged the British Abortion law, announced that they will take their case to...
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God Save the King – From “Annoying” Protesters?
07.06.2023
For peaceful protesters, the United Kingdom (‘UK’) has turned into difficult terrain over the last years. In the recent past, this has become increasingly obvious, especially by the way the...
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The Most Exciting Field of International Law
05.06.2023
Outer space has received a new high of attention over the last couple of years. Pop-culture, businesses and states have turned their gaze (back) up to the stars. Of course,...
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Trojan Horses with Emergency Lights
16.05.2023
Medical impartiality, the principle that during armed conflicts or civil unrest, no one should interfere with the access to or delivery of medical services, is of utmost importance for effective...
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Sea-Level Rise at the Security Council
08.05.2023
In what has been termed a ‘signature event’ of the Maltese Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (the Council), the latter held an open debate on the implications of...
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Trash or Treasure?
03.05.2023
What do you think happens with your phone after its approximately two years of usage? It will probably be on its way abroad together with other electronic equipment. With due...
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An Unneighborly Gift in Times of Need
20.04.2023
In February 2023, the news of devastating deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria shook the globe. The horrifying effects of these earthquakes led to a death toll that has surpassed...
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Prisoner of War Videos on Facebook
14.04.2023
Pierre Thielbörger
Jan-Phillip Graf
When violent clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces reignited the international armed conflict (IAC) in Nagorno-Karabakh last year, social media was flooded with videos allegedly portraying the mistreatment of prisoners...
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Too Young to Be a Criminal?
13.04.2023
Tragic incidents and shocking crimes such as the recent murder of a 12-year-old girl in Germany (suspectedly) by her 12 and 13-year-old friends draw the public’s attention to a difficult...
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Just Like Ukraine, But Worse?
11.04.2023
Since the summer of 2022, the Chinese government has begun large-scale military drills and missile tests in the area around Taiwan - these exercises continue to this day. Those drills,...
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Heads of States Before the ICC
05.04.2023
On the 17th of March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC, Court) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children's Rights, for...
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Forcing Women to Deprioritize Their Health?
30.03.2023
Six of the sixteen countries in the world, which prohibit abortions under all circumstances, are located in Middle America. Yet it remains unclear whether absolute bans on abortions are compatible...
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When A Princess Causes a Nightmare
27.03.2023
On February 28, 2023, the tanker Princess Empress sank off the coast of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines as a result of engine damage. Since then, the loaded 800,000 liters of industrial...
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New Ways to Deal With Old Crimes?
15.03.2023
Do countries take responsibility for grave violations of current international law committed in the past? This question has once again been raised in the negotiations between Germany and Namibia over...
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Military Success > Global Food Security
20.02.2023
"The right to food is not the right to be nourished, but first and foremost the right to nourish oneself in dignity from one's own resources", Jean Ziegler However, the...
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When Silence Is Not Golden but Puzzling
11.01.2023
Tillmann Lindner
Giacomo Romis
On 22 July 2022 the ICJ issued its judgment regarding the preliminary objections raised by Myanmar in the case of the Application of the Genocide Convention on the Prevention and...
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Human Dignity Is Inviolable… Unless You Are a Prisoner?
22.12.2022
A vote on abolishing slavery in 2022 - really? Yes, that is exactly what happened in several states in the United States this November. On 8 November 2022 the citizens...
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Towards a Sustainable Agriculture
14.11.2022
Not least since Russia blocked Ukrainian grain exports and thereby endangered global food security has agriculture moved into the international spotlight. Between global environmental issues like climate change and food...
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Pitting Wildlife Conservation Against Indigenous Rights
09.11.2022
On 30 September, the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) issued a judgment that has been met with indignation by indigenous activists. It ruled that the Tanzanian government’s decision to permanently clear an area...
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Between Accuracy and Dignity
30.09.2022
Jan-Phillip Graf
Jannik Neumann
According to several news organizations, the Ukrainian forces use the facial recognition software Clearview AI to identify deceased Russian combatants in order to inform families about their kin’s death (here,...
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What Needs to Be Said
16.09.2022
Maximilian Bertamini
Tillmann Lindner
It seems these days that international law and its institutions are unable to keep power at bay. In recent times, the UN Security Council (SC) – one member in particular...
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Of Old Wisdoms and New Challenges
18.08.2022
At the end of July 2022, Volume I (Rules) of the long awaited McGill Manual on International Law Applicable to Military Uses of Outer Space (MILAMOS) was finally released. Drafted...
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Imploding Protection Through Exploding Norms?
12.08.2022
On August 4th 2022, Amnesty International published a report criticising the tactics of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) for endangering civilians by launching attacks and placing military targets in populated...
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No Purchase, No Requisition, No Seizure
27.07.2022
Grain plays a crucial role in the war in Ukraine. Not only is Russia blocking Ukrainian grain exports and thereby causing a risk of a world-wide food crisis. In addition,...
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Wofür kämpfen?
25.07.2022
Der russische Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine ist zu einem Zermürbungskrieg im Osten des Landes geworden. Seine Fortdauer kostet jeden Tag unzählige Menschenleben. Dennoch zeigt sich gerade in Hinblick auf die...
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(Don’t) Call ‘Em Mercenaries
20.07.2022
Lorenz Rubner
Lisa M. Cohen
Much like the invasion of Iraq did two decades ago, the attack on Ukraine has yanked legal terminology and arguments from international law to the public forum, prompting legal academics...
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The Responsibility to Protect as a Responsibility to Deny
30.06.2022
Sophie Maria Martha Wollert
We live in a horrific reality in which governments are committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and even genocide against their people (the following are referred to as...
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Out of Sight, out of Mind?
27.06.2022
On June 14th 2022, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) issued an interim measure against the United Kingdom, effectively halting a deportation flight at the 11th hour that would...
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The Dangers of Hacktivism
15.06.2022
The Russian Federation (Russia) has turned almost the whole Western world against it by attacking and invading Ukraine. While States are intensively debating about the strictest yet legally sound ways...
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Turning the Tide
07.06.2022
By 2100 sea level will rise between 0.43 m and 0.84 m due to climate change. Doesn't sound like much to you? Then imagine living on an island with an...
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What Do We Do with the Non-‘White, Blonde, Blue-Eyed’ Asylum Seekers?
02.06.2022
Following the Russian invasion, it is estimated that over 6 million persons have fled Ukraine. Although this number is significantly higher than any other refugee wave reaching the EU since...
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COVID-19 Triage and the Persistent Problem of Disability Discrimination in Healthcare
20.04.2022
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to create major challenges for public healthcare. Numerous countries are faced with the difficult task of allocating scarce medical resources, e.g. ventilators, to COVID-19 patients (see, e.g., case studies concerning...
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Nachruf Knut Ipsen
05.04.2022
Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Knut Ipsen ist am 17. März 2022 im Alter von 86 Jahren gestorben. Als „wissenschaftlicher und hochschulpolitischer Macher“ hatte er eine beispiellose Karriere, die ganz...
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Of Legal Creativity and Plausibility of Rights
04.04.2022
Sebastian Wuschka
Elisabeth Hoffberger-Pippan
On 16 March 2022, the International Court of Justice rendered its provisional measures order on the request by Ukraine in the case concerning Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on...
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Humanitarian Visas to Escape from the Taliban?
30.03.2022
The Taliban’s seizure of power has led to the expectation of a sharp increase in the movement of Afghan protection seekers to countries of refuge. Although the international community tried...
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- Symposium
- Bofaxe
- Women in International Law Vol. 1
Abortion in Latin America Through the Lens of the IACtHR
08.03.2022
Lea Bilke
Vanessa Bliecke
Ella Schönleben
Discussing reproductive rights – and more specifically abortion rights – in a legal setting is challenging. Legal arguments blend with political, moral and religious discussions, blurring the line between lex...
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How Pressing ‘ENTER’ Gets You to The Hague
02.03.2022
Lisa M. Cohen
Lorenz Rubner
The offensive use of cyber capabilities is well documented. Most recently, the Russian invasion into Ukraine has been preceded and accompanied by multiple cyber operations both from State actors and...
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The Death of the Prohibition on the Use of Force
15.02.2022
Towards the end of 2021, Russia began a massive buildup of troops along its border with Ukraine and forecasts of a possible invasion started to circulate. Expectedly, the community of...
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Clean Up Your Mess!
11.02.2022
Vivien Wefringhaus
Maja Bergfort
Approximately eight million tons of plastic waste leak into the oceans every year. Our planet is literally drowning in plastic. It is estimated that every year one million birds and...
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Ecocide – Legal Revolution or Symbolism?
03.02.2022
Romina Pezzot
Jan-Phillip Graf
One year ago, the Stop Ecocide Foundation convened the so-called ‘Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide’ (IEP). Composed of 12 renowned international jurists and co-chaired by Dior...
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Is the Feministisation of the ECtHR’s Abortion-Related Jurisprudence a Realistic Expectation?
28.01.2022
Feminist legal theories have repeatedly highlighted the patriarchal bias in law and decision-making: Sexuality, biology and reproductivity have been parameters of persons’ positioning in the eyes of the law and...
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One Court at a Time: Challenges of Universal Jurisdiction and Enhancing International Justice
24.01.2022
When the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz convicted former Syrian State intelligence officer Anwar R. of crimes against humanity on January 13, 2022, survivors, activists, and lawyers unanimously praised German...
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Self-Defense or Self-Excuse?
20.12.2021
On 13 November 2021, the New York Times (NYT) published an investigative article revealing how the US military had hidden an airstrike which had killed dozens of civilians in Syria...
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Love Is Taboo
13.12.2021
Vanessa Bliecke
Rouven Diekjobst
Prison inmates are inherently subject to far-reaching interferences with their civil rights and liberties. Still, states increasingly tend to exceed their legal boundaries by imposing additional restrictions on them. Consequently,...
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