Palestinian Refugees in Syria: A Primer For Advocacy
In the face of crisis, it is very easy for those of us in neither government nor humanitarian work to switch off the news. Certainly, this seems to be the...
Conflict and Human Rights
Investigating crimes against humanity – South Africa's embrace of universal jurisdiction
“What business is it of the South African authorities when torture on a widespread scale is alleged to have been committed by Zimbabweans against Zimbabweans in Zimbabwe? It is that...
Investigating crimes against humanity – South Africa’s embrace of universal jurisdiction
“What business is it of the South African authorities when torture on a widespread scale is alleged to have been committed by Zimbabweans against Zimbabweans in Zimbabwe? It is that...
Geneva II, politicking and possibility for Syria’s invisible 43%
The possibility of peace in Syria may seem more like an international force (pun intended) than a beacon of hope. History though tells us to ‘believe…’.* The form of the...
The Santos-FARC Peace Talks: Human Rights Challenges in Colombia
Colombian political analysts suggest that we do not really know what is happening in the negotiation between the Colombian government of Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of...
Drones, Armed Conflict and Lawful Killing: Is the US at war?
On 12 November, Ben Emmerson QC, UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights, addressed the use of drones at a seminar hosted by the Oxford Martin Programme on Human...
UN Resolution on Women’s Involvement in Conflict-Prevention: a Move Towards Participative Equality for Women in Conflict Zones
Earlier this month, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2122, designed to highlight the importance of women’s involvement in conflict prevention, resolution and peace-building. The adoption of this Resolution...
German Federal Constitutional Court Says No Civilian War Damages for NATO Air Strike in Serbia
The German Federal Constitutional Court has rejected constitutional complaints lodged by Serbian citizens in relation to a NATO air strike in the Serbian city of Varvarin on 30 May 1999....
Guantanamo Military Commissions: Reflections from a Legal Observer – Part 1
There is perhaps no more controversial space in the world than the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. For many, Guantanamo represents the very worst of the American prosecution...
Humanitarian Intervention? – International Law and the Non-Use of Force in Syria
The UK House of Commons voted by a slim majority (13 votes) against UK involvement in direct military action in Syria. This refusal to endorse the use of force does...
The Ongoing Search for Justice for Victims of the Japanese War Crimes in Mapanique, Philippines
On November 23, 1944, Japanese troops descended on the town of Mapanique in the Philippines. The troops gathered men and boys in the town and proceeded to castrate them. Afterwards,...
Drone Strikes and Domestic Crimes?
As Kenneth Roth, the Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, has recently pointed out, international human rights and humanitarian law would not necessarily seem to require the wholesale abolition of...
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