International human rights law (IHRL)

Palestinian kid adds fuel to a fire amidst rubble.

Gaza and Israel’s Renewed Policy of Deprivation

Israel’s decision to cut Gaza off from essential goods violates IHL and reactivates crimes charged in the ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu, writes Dannenbaum.

Mar. 21, 2025 Tom Dannenbaum

A woman, crouches down, surrounded by tattered Ukrainian flags.

Ukrainian and International Legal Scholars Reflect on Ukraine, Three Years On

Reflections from Ukrainian and international legal scholars following the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Mar. 1, 2025 Just Security

Alternating American flags and United Nations flags, set around a pole, wave in the wind.

“The Trump Administration’s Attacks on International Law and Institutions”: Public Statement of American Human Rights Experts, Current and Former Members of UN Bodies

Since the 20th of January, we have watched with increasing alarm as the administration of U.S. President Donald J. Trump has sought to repudiate the commitments of the United States…

Feb. 10, 2025 16 US Human Rights Experts, Current and Former Members of UN Bodies

A black colored International Law book sits with a judges gavel on top of it on desk in the library. The book's spine has "International Law" written in gold letters and the gavel is made of dark brown wood.

Where is the International Law We Believed In Ukraine?

International lawyers must design an improved legal architecture of resilience and recovery to support Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Mar. 14, 2024 Harold Hongju Koh

Can we defend the defenders? On the safety of front-line human rights workers

Ricardo Lagunes Gasca disappeared one year ago this month. The human rights movement must work harder to protect its front line defenders.

Jan. 12, 2024 Thomas Antkowiak

A line of black rifles stand against a wall.

Resistance and Justice in Myanmar Requires Addressing Extrajudicial Killings by Armed Opposition Groups

Myanmar's resistance must find ways to provide justice for those harmed and guarantee due process for those suspected of violations.

Dec. 5, 2023 Lian Thawng Hnin and Stefan Bakumenko

Journalists and members of Guatemalan civil society carry a banner reading “Without Journalism There is No Democracy” during a demonstration against the threat to freedom of expression and the criminal prosecution of communicators, outside court in Guatemala City on March 4, 2023. The United States expressed concern on March 2 over Guatemala’s decision to bring legal action against nine journalists from an investigative newspaper, saying the move undermined free speech, and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) accused Guatemalan authorities of trying to “intimidate and harass” journalists at the publication who were investigating government corruption. The journalists from the newspaper El Periodico include its founder Jose Ruben Zamora, who had already spent eight months in pre-trial detention on accusations of money laundering and blackmail. (Photo by JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom as a Driver for All Human Rights

Freedom of expression is protected in international law, because, without it, democracy and the rule of law wither away. A free press is a vital aspect.

May 3, 2023 Lord David Neuberger, Can Yeginsu and 2 more

Former Vice President, Joe Biden, addresses the audience at the We Decide: Planned Parenthood Action Fund 2020 Election Forum to Focus on Abortion and Reproductive Rights event in Columbia, SC on June, 22 2019.

Now is the Time for the Biden Administration to Commit to Upholding Reproductive Rights as Human Rights

The US has an opportunity to renew its commitment to human rights as it responds to UPR suggestions. It must seize the moment to affirm that reproductive and sexual rights are…

Feb. 17, 2021 Risa E. Kaufman

This picture taken during a government-guided tour on December 27, 2020 shows inmates operating sewing machines at a workshop at al-Qanatir women's prison, at the tip of the Nile delta in Qalyoubiya province, about 30 kilometres north of Egypt's capital. The wear face masks and appear to be socially distanced.

Transforming the US Human Rights Report to Reflect Gender Rights — and Security

The Trump administration damaged the annual report's credibility. It is critical to rethink the data, especially on women and girls.

Jan. 26, 2021 Stephenie Foster and Susan Markham

The 19th Session Human Rights Council. 15 March 2012.

The UDHR, Digital Authoritarianism, and Human Rights after Trump

"A simple return to an imagined world of pre-Trump human rights is not enough."

Dec. 10, 2020 Katie Porter and David Kaye

President-elect Joe Biden introduces key foreign policy and national security nominees and appointments at the Queen Theatre on November 24, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware.

How to Elevate the Status of Human Rights – at Home and Abroad – in a Biden-Harris White House

In these last days of the outgoing administration’s four-year assault on basic international norms, advocates have been issuing detailed recommendations for how the Biden-Harris…

Nov. 25, 2020 Ian M. Kysel

A young boy walks in front of a grafittied wall spelling out the symptoms of and ways to avoid Coronavirus in Mathare informal settlement on July 10, 2020 in Nairobi, Kenya.

COVID-19 and International Law Series: Human Rights Law – Right to Life

[Editor’s Note: This article is part of a Just Security series, COVID and International Law. All articles in the series can be found here.] COVID-19 continues to grow at…

Nov. 18, 2020 Oona A. Hathaway, Preston Lim and 1 more