torture

Arid ground in Mongolia, Zavkhan province.

The Trump Administration’s Indefensible Legal Defense of Its Asylum Ban

"The Trump administration has finally made public its legal justification for its decision to halt asylum processing during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is embarrassingly bad.…

May 15, 2020 Oona A. Hathaway

U.S. Treasury Department Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing Marshall Billingslea speaks during an Organization of American States meeting on state corruption and human rights violations in Venezuela at the organization's headquarters March 01, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Lessons From a Torture Advocate’s Failed Bid for a Key Human Rights Position

As society continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, most news has been gloomy. But there have been positive developments, and among them is a rare story of accountability…

May 5, 2020 Rita Siemion and Benjamin Haas

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Monday, April 3, 2017, at the West Wing entrance of the White House in Washington, D.C.

Coronavirus Adds Urgency to Ending Egypt’s Detention and Torture of Children

The United States has long justified its support for Egyptian security services as necessary for the security and stability of Egypt and the region. Yet the means by which the…

May 5, 2020 Aya Hijazi and Bill Van Esveld

David Addington, Chief of Staff and former counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney, former Department of Justice official John Yoo and Chris Schroeder, former acting assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel testify before the House Judiciary committee during a hearing on the administration's interrogation policy on June 26, 2008 in Washington, DC.

ICC Afghanistan Torture Investigation Likely to Turn on Criminal Intent

Good-faith reliance on advice of counsel is a well-established defense in U.S. criminal law, but it has not yet been tested at the ICC.

Apr. 15, 2020 Peter Robinson

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…

Mar. 31, 2020 Scott Roehm

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,…

Mar. 25, 2020 Randle DeFalco

Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) hearing to receive oral arguments in the appeals of victims and of the Prosecutor against Pre-Trial Chamber II's "Decision Pursuant to Article 15 of the Rome Statute on the Authorisation of an Investigation into the Situation in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan". The Appeals Chamber in this appeal is composed of Judge Piotr Hofmański, Presiding judge, Judge Howard Morrison, Judge Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza, Judge Solomy Balungi Bossa and Judge Kimberly Prost. December 4, 2019

The “Interests of Justice” at the ICC: A Continuing Mystery

David Luban explains how the ICC Appeals Chamber missed an opportunity to clarify what "interests of justice" the Prosecutor must consider in authorizing an investigation in the…

Mar. 17, 2020 David Luban

Syrian Army defector "Caesar," (in a blue hooded jacket) who has smuggled out of Syria more than 50,000 photographs that document the torture and execution of more than 10,000 dissidents, listens to an interpreter during a briefing before House Foreign Affairs Committee July 31, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Balancing Syria Advocacy and Witness Safety: Have We Lost Sight?

Groups documenting war crimes and other violations must revisit their methods of evidence collection and improve compliance with “do no harm” principles.

Mar. 10, 2020 Deyaa Alrwishdi

Razor wire lines in front of the US flag at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Guantanamo’s Ugly Taint on U.S. Diplomacy

Watching the Guantanamo proceedings from behind the courtroom's safety glass brings to mind a different prison, halfway around the world, in Egypt.

Feb. 13, 2020 Elisa Epstein

Egyptian police wave batons at demonstrators demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak and calling for reforms on January 25, 2011 in central Cairo.

Crossing the Line from Use of Force to Torture in Response to Peaceful Demonstrations

Editor’s note from Ryan Goodman: Just Security is publishing a mini-forum on a significant document being drafted by the United Nations Human Rights Committee concerning the…

Feb. 6, 2020 Juan E. Méndez

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman attends a meeting on world economy at the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 28, 2019.

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.

Jan. 29, 2020 Beth Van Schaack and Edward Crouse

Guests arrive at the Dune's Resort, in Kotu, near Bajul, for the ceremony launching the works of the Truth and Reconciliation and Reparation Commission on October 15, 2018.

A Gambian Paramilitary Fighter Could Face Justice in the United States

While Gambia wrestles with its past and decides how to hold those accused of human rights violations to account, the United States must similarly determine what to do with a former…

Dec. 24, 2019 Andrew Moore