International Law

Guinea President Dies, Soldiers Attempt Coup

Posted on December 23, 2008
Hours after the death of President Lansana Conte a group of Guinean soldiers announced their intention to suspend the constitution and the government. The group has been called "the minority" by General Diarra Camara, armed forces chief of Guinea. President Conte had led the poverty-stricken nation since 1984...

Musicians Protest Use of Music to Tormet Detainees

Posted on December 10, 2008
Musicians are joining together to demand that the U.S. stop using their songs to tormet detainees in the war on terror. Reprieve, a human rights group, has organized a campaign in which musicians will feature moments of silence during concerts. There are many reports of music being played at loud volumns and for extended periods of time in order to "break" detainees...

Musicians Protest Use of Music to Torment Detainees

Posted on December 10, 2008
Musicians are joining together to demand that the U.S. stop using their songs to torment detainees in the war on terror. Reprieve, a human rights group, has organized a campaign in which musicians will feature moments of silence during concerts.There are many reports of music being played at loud volumns and for extended periods of time in order to "break" detainees...

Obama to Close Guantanamo

Posted on November 10, 2008
President-elect Barack Obama plans to close the Guantanamo Bay prison which has held detainees captured as part of the "war on terror." This move is a welcomed one for human rights advocates. Some suspects will be released, likely due to lack of evidence...

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Olympics Bring More Abuses

Posted on August 08, 2008
It was hoped that hosting the Olympic games would cause China to better its deplorable human rights record. According to some, however, it has only increased the abuses. Steven W. Mosher, an internationally recognized China expert, says that in preparation for the games the Chinese government has: -- Arrested, imprisoned, and tortured numerous political dissidents...

"Texas Executes Mexican Despite Objections"

Posted on August 06, 2008
Texas executed Mexican national, José E. Medellín, lat night despite a ruling by the International Court of Justice that further hearings should be held to determine if his trial was fair. His case was part of a debate over 51 trials which were questioned because the Mexican nationals accused were never given an opportunity to talk to a consul...

Junta Takes Power in Mauritania

Posted on August 06, 2008
Army officers staged a coup in Mauritania today, detaining the president, prime minister and interior minister, key members of the country's first freely elected government since gaining independence in 1960. President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi is apparently being held by soldiers in the presidential palace in the capital city, Nouakchott...

Bush To Speak about Human Rights in China

Posted on August 06, 2008
US President George Bush will give a speech in Thailand today denouncing China's human rights record. The White House has released some of the speech already:?The United States believes the people of China deserve the fundamental liberty that is the natural right of all human beings...

Zimbabwe Continues to Suffer After the Election

Posted on August 04, 2008
The US Department of State released some pretty depressing numbers about Zimbabwe today. Since the March 29 presidential elections there have been 129 murders of opposition party members. In the capital city alone, an average of 60 people seek medical care every day as the result of political violence...

"Karadzic Accuses His Accusers"

Posted on August 02, 2008
Former Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, currently on trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for war crimes, has written a letter addressing "drastic irregularities" in his treatment. Karadzic claims in his letter that he will be unable to receive a fair trial due to irregularities such as a "media witch-hunt...

Former US Ambassador Reflects on ICC

Posted on August 02, 2008
Found an interesting piece by David Scheffer, former US Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues (1997-2001), who headed the United States delegation to the talks creating the International Criminal Court. Mr. Scheffer provides interesting insight on the development and US position of the ICC.

Karadzic Trial Q & A

Posted on July 24, 2008
Check out an interesting and informative Question and Answer piece on the upcoming Radovan Karadzic trial here.

Nepal Swears In First President

Posted on July 23, 2008
Ram Baran Yadav was sworn in as President of Nepal today after 240 years of monarchal rule. Yadav must now try to work with the Maoist party who are refusing to form a government under him. The Maoist control the most seats in the Constituent Assembly.

Karadzic, Accused War Criminal Arrested

Posted on July 21, 2008
Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb president, has been arrested after more than a decade of hiding. Karadzic is charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the law of war for his role in the deaths of up to 300,000 in Bosnia...

ICC Prosecutor Seeks Arrest of Sudan's al-Bashir

Posted on July 14, 2008
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has asked the court to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. Bashir is the most senior member pursued by the court and one of few sitting heads of state ever charged by an international court...

"Constitution Drafting in Post-Conflict States"

Posted on April 09, 2008
William and Mary School of Law has just published an interesting symposium entitled, "Constitution Drafting in Post-Conflict States," which focuses on various issues related to drawing up constitutions in a post-conflict situation. Many current events are discussed and issues range from the need for rule of law in places like Iraq to the influence of theocracy in Pakistan...

Pakistan Chief Justice Freed by New Premier

Posted on March 25, 2008
Moments after being confirmed as Pakistan's new prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani ordered that Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry (pictured) be freed. Chaudhry had been under house arrest since November when President Musharraf had security forces carry him out of the Supreme Court while hearing a case about Musharraf's right to continue as president...

Pakistan Chief Justice Freed by New Premier

Posted on March 25, 2008
Moments after being confirmed as Pakistan's new prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani ordered that Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry (pictured) be freed. Chaudhry had been under house arrest since November when President Musharraf had security forces carry him out of the Supreme Court while hearing a case about Musharraf's right to continue as president...

Darfur Peacekeeping Force Struggling

Posted on March 24, 2008
Despite what many consider an ongoing genocide in Darfur, the United Nations peacekeeping force continues to be delayed. The force officially replaced the incapable African Union force on January 1, 2008, but so far has only deployed 9,000 of an anticipated 26,000...

Darfur Peacekeeping Force Struggling

Posted on March 24, 2008
Despite what many consider an ongoing genocide in Darfur, the United Nations peacekeeping force continues to be delayed. The force officially replaced the incapable African Union force on January 1, 2008, but so far has only deployed 9,000 of an anticipated 26,000...

Annan: UN "Overstretched"

Posted on March 21, 2008
Former secretary general of the UN, Kofi Annan, said yesterday that the UN is "overstretched" and should not take on any more responsibilities as long as the major powers continue to withhold the needed support."I don't think the UN is in a position today to go in and take over in Afghanistan; I don't think the UN will get the resources to play a major and active role in Somalia...

Annan: UN "Overstretched"

Posted on March 21, 2008
Former secretary general of the UN, Kofi Annan, said yesterday that the UN is "overstretched" and should not take on any more responsibilities as long as the major powers continue to withhold the needed support."I don't think the UN is in a position today to go in and take over in Afghanistan; I don't think the UN will get the resources to play a major and active role in Somalia...

Violence in Kosovo Escalates

Posted on March 18, 2008
A United Nations police officer from the Ukraine has died following injuries suffered during riots by Serbs in Kosovo. Rioters used rocks, Molotov cocktails, and even hand grenades against police after police retook two UN courthouses in the town of Mitrovica...

Violence in Kosovo Escalates

Posted on March 18, 2008
A United Nations police officer from the Ukraine has died following injuries suffered during riots by Serbs in Kosovo. Rioters used rocks, Molotov cocktails, and even hand grenades against police after police retook two UN courthouses in the town of Mitrovica...

Pro-Tibet Protests Around the World

Posted on March 16, 2008
Protests calling for an end to Chinese rule of Tibet have erupted across the globe. Violent protests have taken lace throughout Tibet, leaving anywhere from 10-80 dead and many more injured or jailed. Meanwhile, there have been protests in places such as the Chinese embassy in Paris, the Chinese consulate in the Hague, and in New York outside the United Nations and Chinese consulate...

Pro-Tibet Protests Around the World

Posted on March 16, 2008
Protests calling for an end to Chinese rule of Tibet have erupted across the globe. Violent protests have taken lace throughout Tibet, leaving anywhere from 10-80 dead and many more injured or jailed. Meanwhile, there have been protests in places such as the Chinese embassy in Paris, the Chinese consulate in the Hague, and in New York outside the United Nations and Chinese consulate...

US State Department Names World's Worst Human Rights Offenders

Posted on March 12, 2008
North Korea, Myanmar, Iran, Syria, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Eritrea and Sudan were named the world's ten worst human rights offenders in a new report detailing 2007 abuses. To the surprise of many China was dropped from the list, although their ?overall human rights record remained poor...

Bush's Anti-Torture Veto Stands

Posted on March 12, 2008
An attempt by the House of Representatives to override President Bush's veto of a ban on enhanced interrogation techniques failed yesterday. The bill would have limited the CIA and other US agencies to interrogation techniques found in the Army's field manual...

US State Department Names World's Worst Human Rights Offenders

Posted on March 12, 2008
North Korea, Myanmar, Iran, Syria, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Eritrea and Sudan were named the world's ten worst human rights offenders in a new report detailing 2007 abuses. To the surprise of many China was dropped from the list, although their ???overall human rights record remained poor...

Bush's Anti-Torture Veto Stands

Posted on March 12, 2008
An attempt by the House of Representatives to override President Bush's veto of a ban on enhanced interrogation techniques failed yesterday. The bill would have limited the CIA and other US agencies to interrogation techniques found in the Army's field manual...

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