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.
3,695 Articles
European Court of Human Rights to Torture Victims: Get Lost
In a disappointing decision yesterday (Jones v. United Kingdom), the European Court of Human Rights upheld the immunity of states and state officials from civil suits for torture…
European Court of Human Rights: Foreign State Officials are Immune from Civil Suit for Torture (Jones v. United Kingdom)
The European Court of Human Rights has issued its long-awaited judgment in Jones v. United Kingdom. The case involves four British nationals who sued Saudi Arabia and Saudi officials…
US Announces Investigation into Wedding Convoy Drone Strike: A Step Toward Accountability?
Last night, NBC’s Michael Isikoff reported that (anonymous) US officials said: “The Obama administration has launched an internal investigation into a Dec. 12 drone strike…
Timeline: Palestine and the International Criminal Court
Over the holidays, the Guardian and other media have again raised the specter of the Palestinians joining the International Criminal Court (ICC), or otherwise attempting to invoke…
Helpful Resource from the Dept of Defense: Periodic Review Board Website
We wanted to flag for interested readers a helpful resource, the Department of Defense’s website for the Periodic Review Secretariat (PRS), the body responsible for the administrative…
Responding to John Dehn’s Letter to the Editor on the 9/11 Military Commissions
I agree with John Dehn that the military justice system is far more fair, orderly and efficient than the military commission system. My argument for why civilian federal courts…
Response to the Letter to the Editor from Amnesty International’s Legal Adviser
I appreciate the Letter to the Editor from Hugo Relva, Legal Adviser at Amnesty International responding to my earlier post, in which I questioned the coding procedures that Amnesty…
Letter to the Editor: Reply from Legal Adviser, Amnesty International to Ryan Goodman on Survey of Universal Jurisdiction
[Editor’s note: Ryan Goodman responds to this Letter to the Editor in a following post.] Dear Editor, I am writing with regard to the article “Counting Universal Jurisdiction…
Two Quick Reflections on Why al Maqaleh III Matters
Over at Lawfare, Raffaela Wakeman already flagged today’s (unsurprising) D.C. Circuit decision in al Maqaleh v. Hagel, once again dismissing for lack of jurisdiction appeals…
The Report of the UK Detainee Inquiry (December 2013)
On Thursday December 19, 2013, the long awaited Report of the Detainee Inquiry (“the Report”) was published. The subject of the Report was Britain’s involvement in US torture…
So Much for a New Drone Policy – Why Can’t the US Explain Why It Targeted a Wedding Party?
The New York Times has an important front-page story today by Mark Mazzetti and Robert Worth on last week’s drone strike in Yemen, which reportedly targeted a convoy of trucks…
Belhaj v. Straw: UK complicity in US rendition and torture
This morning the United Kingdom’s High Court issued its judgment in a case brought by Abdel-Hakim Belhaj and his wife Fatima Boudchar against the UK’s government and intelligence…