This Giving Tuesday, you can help us inform a more just and secure world. Donate now.

Treaties

× Clear Filters
268 Articles
Syrian campaigner Wafa Mustafa sits among pictures of victims of the Syrian regime as she holds a photo of her father, during a protest outside a trial of two Syrian alleged former intelligence officers accused for crimes against humanity, in the first trial of its kind to emerge from the Syrian conflict, on June 4, 2020 in Koblenz, western Germany. Wafa was part of the resistance against the Syrian government and had to flee Syria when her father was arrested. She came to Germany in 2016. (Photo by THOMAS LOHNES/AFP via Getty Images)

Crimes Against Humanity: Little Progress on Treaty as UN Legal Committee Concludes its Work

Despite a majority of States favoring a clear mandate and timeline to discuss the draft in the next year, a few countries essentially exercised vetoes.
A man watches a television report showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on October 19, 2021, after the South's military said a North Korean weapons test was believed to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

How International Law Could Help Preserve Nonproliferation in East Asia

Multilateral and bilateral agreements provide valuable infrastructure in the nonproliferation toolkit. The United States and others should continue to build and strengthen agreements…
US government's special envoy for Western Balkans Matthew Palmer poses with members of Bosnia and Herzegovina's tripartite presidency, Milorad Dodik, Zeljko Komsic, and Sefik Dzaferovic in Sarajevo on July 5, 2021 as Palmer held several meetings with national political leaders in Bosnia as well as state officials.

Peace Is Threatened Again in Bosnia, A Quarter Century after Dayton

Separatist provocations pose the greatest danger to the country's peace and cohesion since the accords were forged 26 years ago.
Colombian United Self Defense (AUC) right-wing paramilitary guerrillas stand in rows holding their hands over their hearts during the demobilization ceremony 10 December, 2004 at Camp Two base camp in Tibu, north of Santander, Colombia.

New Ruling Sheds Light on State-Paramilitary Cooperation in Colombia – and on the TVPA

A US court held that Colombian paramilitaries indisputably had a symbiotic relationship with the Colombian state and are therefore liable under the TVPA.
Relatives and friends attend the funeral of Sonya Gregorio and her son Frank Gregorio on December 27, 2020 in Paniqui, Tarlac province, Philippines. Six people carry a coffin, and banner behind shows their faces and reads, “Justice for Sonia R. Gregorio; Frank Anthony R. Gregorio; Our condolences and sympathy to the bereaved family from Rev. Peter M. Gregorio”

Toward a Treaty on Crimes Against Humanity: A View from the Philippines and a Region of `Non-Interference’

Such a convention could help dispel a culture of impunity by reaffirming the gravity of such atrocities and filling gaps left by the Rome Statute.
A person guides a boat through a Cham Muslim village on the waters of the Mekong River. Small buildings float on the water.

Why Religious Persecution Justifies U.S. Legislation on Crimes Against Humanity

Such a law would strengthen the prospect of the US one day seriously considering ratification of a proposed treaty.
A protester holds a placard reading "Parasites! Your Host Is Dying!" during a demonstration in front of the Bosnian government building in the centre of Sarajevo, on April 6, 2021.

Human Rights Plaintiff: US-EU Election Plan for Bosnia Rewards Nationalist Agendas

A politically expedient "fix" would sideline citizens, including those who fought to open the system via the European Court of Human Rights.
Flanked by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. President Joe Biden attends a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 1, 2021 in Washington, DC.

How an Internal State Department Memo Exposes “Title 42” Expulsions of Refugees as Violations of Law

Before leaving his post as Senior Legal Advisor to the State Department, Harold Hongju Koh penned a strongly-worded criticism of President Biden’s pandemic border policy and…
Former Liberian President Charles Taylor flanked by uniformed guards waits for the start of his appeal judgement on September 26, 2013 in the courtroom of the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague.

The Draft Convention on Crimes Against Humanity Should Enshrine the Highest Standards of International Law

While it contains laudable provisions, it is silent on certain fundamental issues, and some clauses set out the lowest common denominator.
Funeral workers carry a body bag containing the remains of Arvin Arbuis through a grave site. A procession of people follow.

ICC Investigation of Philippines President Duterte Sends Important Signals

It tells other governments that they may not obtain retroactive impunity for their crimes by withdrawing from the ICC treaty.
Filipino protestors demonstrate outside the Chinese Embassy on July 12, 2019 in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. They carry signs reading, “Justice for Filipino Fishermen!” “Demiliterize West Philippine Sea” “Uphold Philippine Victory in the Arbitral Tribunal! China Out of the West Philippine Sea!” and more.

China, Climate Change, Credibility: Why It’s (Finally) Time for the US to Join the Law of the Sea Convention

The US absence at the table is more perplexing than ever, considering how these issues will define maritime governance in the 21st century.
Diane Foley, the mother of slain ISIS hostage James Foley, stands alongside the parents of slain ISIS hostage Kayla Mueller, Carl Mueller and Marsha Mueller, and family members of 2 other slain ISIS hostages, following the guilty pleas by Alexanda Kotey, a member of the notorious Islamic State kidnapping cell dubbed the "Beatles," to charges of conspiring to murder four American hostages, including Mueller and Foley, outside the the US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, September 2, 2021.

Impact-Based Jurisdiction and Crimes Against Humanity Statutes Are Needed for Effective Accountability

The answer is to fully enact international criminal law at the national level and to provide for its maximum reach.
1-12 of 268 items

DON'T MISS A THING. Stay up to date with Just Security curated newsletters: