International Law
International Human Rights Law
267 Articles
The Right of Peaceful Assembly: UN Committee Weighs in on the ‘Age of Protest’
The second in our series published on the UN draft document, with opportunity for public comments.
United Nations Sets Standards on Peaceful Assemblies and the Use of Less Lethal Weapons
Just Security is publishing a mini-forum on a significant document being drafted by the United Nations Human Rights Committee. We are honored to launch the series with this article…
Saudi Crackdown on Dissent Violates Kingdom’s International Legal Obligations
The prosecution of Salman Alodah, a reform-minded Saudi scholar, is particularly emblematic of Saudi Arabia's worrisome pattern of suppressing dissent.
Next Steps in Liberia’s Long Quest for Justice, 10 Years After Commission Report
A full decade after Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended establishment of a war crimes court to seek justice for atrocities during the country's 14 years of…
Female Genital Mutilation and the Treaty Power: What Congress Can Do
Since 1996, the act of female genital mutilation (FGM) has been a federal crime. Federal circuit courts have characterized FGM as “a barbaric practice unbecoming of a civilized…
Contesting the Legality of Internet Shutdowns
As government communications shutdowns become more frequent, legal challenges citing international human rights law and domestic constitutional protections are also on the rise.…
Fear and Loathing on the Border: A First-Hand Look at the Travesty
Far from the loophole-ridden sieve described by the administration, the asylum system we saw was a Kafka-esque labyrinth designed to punish migrants who dare to exercise their…
Blocking or Aiding Asylum Seekers? The U.S.-Canada “Safe Third Country” Agreement and Examples from Europe
The Trump administration's new asylum regulation attempts an end run around the statutory requirements of an actual “Safe Third Country” agreement. Here's how such an agreement…
Top Expert Backgrounder: Children in Immigration Detention — What are the International Norms?
Vice Chair of the United Nations Committee Against Torture, Felice Gaer, writing in her personal capacity.
Citizens to the UN: Investigate Our “Torture Chambers in the Sky”
On behalf of the North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture (NCCIT), a citizen-initiated truth panel, we just submitted a 35-page communication to 10 U.N. Special Rapporteurs…
CTRL+HALT+Defeat: State-Sponsored Surveillance and the Suppression of Dissent
A new lawsuit in Israeli court seeks accountability for the export of malicious spyware used for digital surveillance of human rights defenders, journalists, and political dissidents.…
To Wrest Back Rule of Law in Poland, Might EU Bureaucracy Finally Work?
After years of flailing in efforts to curb Poland’s government from eviscerating the rule of law, an arcane element of the European Union structure might actually be working…