On August 26, 2014 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2172, which extends the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) until August 31, 2015. According to a news article, the Security Council “strongly called on all parties concerned to respect the cessation of hostilities, to prevent any violation of the Blue Line and to respect it in its entirety and to cooperate fully with the UN and the peacekeeping force.” UNIFIL is a peacekeeping force, “which was first established in 1978, [and] is tasked with ensuring that the area between the so-called Blue Line...
International Law in Brief
International Law in Brief (ILIB) is a forum that provides updates on current developments in international law from the editors of ASIL's International Legal Materials.
On August 22, 2014, an independent panel at the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled against Argentina in response to complaints brought by the United States, the European Union, and Japan regarding “certain measures imposed by Argentina on the importation of goods.” According to a news article, “[t]he panel of three independent arbitrators found that Argentina's licensing rules violated WTO agreements, and urged the government of President Cristina Fernandez to bring them in line with international trade rules.” Argentina now has sixty days to submit an appeal of the panel’s decision to...
On August 18, 2014, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights published a report titled “Human Rights of Migrants and Other Persons in the Context of Human Mobility in Mexico.” The report’s purpose is to “assess the human rights situation of the international and domestic migrants in the context of human mobility in Mexico and to make recommendations to ensure that the migration and immigration policies, laws and practices in the United Mexican States . . . comport with the international human rights obligations it has undertaken to protect migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, victims...
On August 15, 2014, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2170, “[e]xpressing its gravest concern that territory in parts of Iraq and Syria is under the control of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Al Nusrah Front (ANF).” Acting under Chapter VII, the Security Council “[d]eplores and condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist acts of ISIL and its violent extremist ideology, and its continued gross, systematic and widespread abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law.” According to a news article, the “[o]ngoing turmoil in northern Iraq...
On August 12, 2014, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs launched its publication, “Mental Health Matters: the Social Inclusion of Youth with Mental Health Conditions.” According to a news article, the report was “launched to coincide with International Youth Day which this year shines a spotlight on the importance of mental health.” Noting that “one-fifth of the young people around the world experience a mental health condition,” the report seeks “to draw on available research to raise awareness of youth mental-health conditions among relevant stakeholders and to start a...
On August 8, 2014, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) held its tenth regional workshop in Nairobi, Kenya on “The role of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in the settlement of disputes relating to the law of the sea in Eastern and Southern Africa.” According to the press release, the aim of the conference was to “to familiarize the participants with the mechanism for dispute settlement established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and with the jurisdiction of the Tribunal.” The workshops serve as “part of the Tribunal’s...
On August 7, 2014, Russia implemented sanctions banning agricultural and certain other food products against Western countries in response to prior sanctions initiated against Russia over events taking place in Ukraine. According to a news article, “[t]he sanctions affect the 28 European Union members, the United States, Canada, Australia and non-EU member Norway” and will include “all meat, fish, poultry, dairy, fruit and vegetables.” The sanctions are slated to last for one year.
On August 7, 2014, the Trial Chamber of the UN-backed Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (the Court) found Nuon Chea and Kieu Samphan, leaders of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime, guilty of crimes against humanity committed between April 1975 and December 1977 and sentenced them to life in prison. According to the press release, the Court found that both Nuon Chea and Kieu Samphan “were, through their participation in the joint criminal enterprise, found to have committed the crimes against humanity of murder, political persecution and other inhumane acts [. . .]; political...
On August 7, 2014, Argentina submitted an application to the International Court of Justice (the Court) regarding a “[d]ispute concerning judicial decisions of the United States of America relating to the restructuring of the Argentine sovereign debt.” According to the press release, Argentina “contends that the United States of America has committed violations of Argentine sovereignty and immunities and other related violations as a result of judicial decisions adopted by US tribunals concerning the restructuring of the Argentine public debt.” The Court has transmitted the application...
On August 4, 2014, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Parliament of MERCOSUR concluded an Exchange of Letters for the establishment of a Framework Cooperation Arrangement between the two entities. According to the press release, “the two organisations agreed to develop their mutual cooperation on matters of common interest” and foresee the Arrangement as helping to “intensify the involvement of MERCOSUR and its Member States in the international criminal justice system.” In his remarks at the signing ceremony, ICC President Sang-Hyun Song noted that “every one of the 12...