United Nations (UN)
1,285 Articles
Does the U.N. General Assembly have the authority to establish an International Criminal Tribunal for Syria?
By all accounts, the U.N. Security Council session this morning will not result in a referral of the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Because Syria…
United States War Crimes Statute & Sri Lanka
Ryan Goodman’s post on Sri Lanka calls for the prosecution under U.S. law of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. In prior posts, we’ve discussed the way in which international crimes (including…
Update: French Text Referring Syria to ICC Said to Replicate Standard Exemptions for US
In a post this morning, I discussed the language reported in the press of a draft Security Council resolution referring Syria to the International Criminal Court. The question…
How “Similar” is US Exemption on Draft UNSC Referral of Syria to the ICC?
[Editor’s Note: Check out Ryan’s updated post, “Update: French Text Referring Syria to ICC Said to Replicate Standard Exemptions for US.”] Yesterday I…
How “Overwhelming” was the UN General Assembly Vote on Crimea?
At a press conference in Kiev with the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Vice President Biden stated that the world’s rejection of Russia’s actions in Crimea was evident in last month’s…
Results of High Commissioner’s Data Call Available Online
We blogged earlier about the “data call” initiated by the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights in response to paragraph 5 of General Assembly Resolution 68/167 on the right…
José Alvarez: Ukraine’s Request for UN Peacekeepers Does Not Require Security Council (Russian) Approval
On Monday, Ukraine requested the United Nations to send peacekeeping troops to 10 cities to help respond to pro-Russian groups in those parts of the country. If you believe major…
Palestine, the Vatican and Accession to International Treaties: Some Ancillary Thoughts
The application to accede to multiple international treaties and international organizations made by President Mahmoud Abbas on April 1st (see full list) has proceeded with…
John Bellinger’s Testimony before the PCLOB (and implications for Senate approval of the Persons with Disabilities Convention) [Updated on April 2]
My friend and former legal adviser to the State Department John Bellinger recently testified before the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board (PCLOB) on the question whether international…
The Human Rights Committee’s Draft Comment 35 on Detention and Security of Persons: A long, long time coming yet still falls short
On June 30, 1982 the Human Rights Committee adopted General Comment No. 8 on Article 9 (the right to liberty and security of the person). It has taken a mere 32 years – a significant…
United Nations Human Rights Council Adopts Resolution Calling for Drone Transparency and Accountability
This morning, the UN Human Rights Council voted to approve a Pakistan-sponsored resolution (A/HRC/25/L.32) entitled, “Ensuring use of remotely piloted aircraft or armed drones…
Breaking News: The High Commissioner for Human Rights to Investigate the Situation in Sri Lanka
The Human Rights Council on Thursday issued a resolution (with a vote of 23 for, 12 against, and 12 abstentions) asking the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to “investigate,…