International Law

Just Security offers expert analysis of international law and its role in addressing global challenges. Our coverage includes litigation in international and regional tribunals, the process of international law-making, analysis of compliance and accountability for international law violations–including international criminal justice, and challenges to the international legal order.

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Rohingya refugees, without wearing any mask or any other safty gear as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, wait in a relief distribution point at Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia March 24, 2020.

COVID-19 and Humanitarian Access for Refugees and IDPs: Part 2 – Syria and Bangladesh

The coronavirus crisis should not function as a cover for repressive action under the guise of protecting health, especially in already vulnerable populations.
Emergency Medical Technicians bring a patient into Wyckoff Hospital in the Borough of Brooklyn on April 6, 2020 in New York.

The Human Rights Lessons from COVID-19: Equality Requires Economic and Social Rights Protections

Minority communities are having to weather the worst of the pandemic. Still, the Trump administration continues its efforts to downplay the significance of economic and social…
A collage of a Sri Lankan soldier, Sri Lankan police officer, Los Angeles police officer, and NYC police officer in face masks.

How Much Liberty Must We Give Up? A Constitutional Analysis of the Coronavirus Lockdown Proposals

The U.S. Constitution allows the federal government to impose quarantines and lockdowns for a pandemic like novel coronavirus, but here's how the due process clause also limits…
A sign reads, “Wanted by the FBI Chinese PLA Members, 54th Research Institute” and shows four members of China's military indicted on charges of hacking into Equifax Inc. and stealing data from Americans. The sign is seated next to a podium shortly after Attorney General William Barr held a press conference at the Department of Justice on February 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. The sign has additional text that is too small to read.

Disrupt, Don’t Indict: Why the United States Should Stop Indicting Foreign State Actor Hackers

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of Nicolás Maduro, who the United States ceased to recognize as Venezuela’s president in early 2019, for narco-terrorism…
A sign indicates the presence of landmines on April 5, 2019 in Opytne, Ukraine.

The World’s Landmine Challenge Demands Presidential Action

If the international community can assemble the right leadership and resources over the next five years, the global plague of anti-personnel mines can be eliminated from the planet,…
A watch tower is seen in the currently closed Camp X-Ray at the U.S. Naval Station on June 27, 2013 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Barbed wire can be seen in both the background and foreground of the photo.

Guantanamo’s COVID-19 Precautions Must Safeguard Detainees’ Rights

Even if the virus does not reach the detainees, some of the precautions that Guantanamo is taking could at once undermine detainees’ rights, including access to counsel, and…
A nearly empty Times Square is seen on March 23, 2020 in New York City. It is raining and the streets are wet. An electronic billboard reads, “Thank You #HealthCare Workers!” Other electronic billboards show ads for various products. The lights from the billboards can be seen reflected in the water on the street.

China’s Responsibility for the Global Pandemic

The world is now grappling with an unprecedented case of transboundary harm that originated in China: the still-growing global COVID-19 pandemic. This essay considers how the international…
Medical staff wearing full body jumpsuits with hoods, face masks, goggle, gloves, and shoe coverings to protect against a previously unknown coronavirus arrive with a patient on a rolling gurney at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan on January 25, 2020. The hospital appears crowded from the photo.

COVID-19 and International Law: Must China Compensate Countries for the Damage?

Top international health law expert discusses: Did China violate its legal obligations under the International Health Regulations? Would Beijing have to financially compensate…
A nurse checks a computer screen during a COVID-19 novel coronavirus test at a testing booth outside Yangji hospital in Seoul on March 17, 2020. The booth is set up with plastic between the nurse and the patient with glove hand portals similar to intensive care units for babies or those with cancer. The nurse is in a full body jumpsuit, wears a mask, a face shield, and gloves.

Cyber Attacks against Hospitals and the COVID-19 Pandemic: How Strong are International Law Protections?

Experts have already warned of indications that some “coronavirus-themed cyberattack campaigns” may have been carried out by States. At this stage, however, no such allegation…
A conveyer belt at Bisha Mine, Eritrea's first major international mine, 150 kilometres west of Asmara is pictured on July 17, 2013.

Supreme Court of Canada Recognizes Corporate Liability for Human Rights Violations

While it seems clear that international human rights norms apply to corporations just as they apply to natural persons. But it is up to each nation to decide whether and how to…
Kitchen staff prepare food while wearing protective clothing at a restaurant in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on March 24, 2020 amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 and Humanitarian Access in Starvation-Affected Countries: Part 1 – Yemen

The blanket denial of appropriate humanitarian aid distribution and personnel access by parties to the ongoing conflict in Yemen, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, could exacerbate…
Pompeo speaks with press

Is Pompeo Unintentionally Helping Out the International Criminal Court?

While likely doing little to dissuade those at the ICC and elsewhere who are committed to seeking accountability for the United States’ previous rendition and torture program,…
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