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.
ICC Takes Custody of Libyan Prison Official Accused of War Crimes
| By: Brianne Blain : December 18, 2025 |

Photo by Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed the transfer of Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, a Libyan war crimes suspect, from Germany to its custody in The Hague, marking a significant development in efforts to hold perpetrators of atrocities in Libya accountable.

El Hishri is alleged to have been a senior official at Mitiga Prison in Libya, where thousands of people were detained for extended periods. The Office of the Prosecutor say he committed, ordered, or oversaw crimes against humanity and war crimes between February...

UN Launches Fact-Finding Mission Amid Sudan Crisis
| By: Brianne Blain : December 18, 2025 |

Photo by FCDO / Russell Watkins (CC BY 2.0)

The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a resolution directing an independent fact-finding mission to investigate reports of human rights violations including mass killings in El Fasher, North Darfur. The Council’s held its 38th special session to address the concerns over crimes against humanity and the potential risk of genocide in Sudan.

In its resolution (A/HRC/S-38/L.1), the Council condemned RSF and allied forces for killings, torture, executions, and widespread sexual and gender-based violence. UN experts reported...

ICC Pre-Trial Chamber Confirms 39 Charges Against Joseph Kony
| By: Özge Karsu : December 11, 2025 |

Photo by Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0

On November 6, 2025, Pre-Trial Chamber III of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a decision confirming 39 charges brought by the Office of the Prosecutor against Joseph Kony, founder and leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda.

The Chamber found substantial grounds to believe that Kony is responsible for crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed between at least July 1, 2002, and December 31, 2005, in northern Uganda. It determined the existence of a non-international armed conflict during the...

Germany Establishes Arbitral Tribunal for Nazi-Looted Art
| By: Özge Karsu : December 11, 2025 |

On March 26, 2025, Germany’s federal government, the states, and the leading municipal associations signed an administrative agreement creating a new arbitral tribunal for Nazi-looted art. The agreement states the foundation for transforming the former Advisory Commission into a legally binding dispute-resolution body and strengthens Germany’s implementation of the Washington Principles.

Beginning December 1, 2025, victims of Nazi persecution and their heirs may unilaterally initiate proceedings before the tribunal, provided the cultural heritage institution has issued a standing...

ICC ASP Opens Multi-Year Review of Aggression Amendments
| By: Özge Karsu : December 11, 2025 |

Photo by OPCW, CC BY 2.0

On July 9, 2025, the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court adopted by consensus Resolution ICC-ASP/S-1/Res.1, initiating a multi-year process to review the amendments to the Rome Statute on the crime of aggression.

The resolution noted that, although 49 of 125 states parties have ratified the Kampala Amendments, no investigation into the crime of aggression has been conducted since the Court’s jurisdiction was activated. It also acknowledges that states parties remain divided: some view the current framework as...

UN Finds Increased Risks for Persons with Disabilities in Myanmar
| By: Brianne Blain : December 10, 2025 |

A recent UN report reveals that Myanmar’s junta violence has disproportionately harmed persons with disabilities. At least 117 persons with disabilities were killed—wheelchairs, prosthetics, hearing aids often left or destroyed during attacks. Many are unable to flee quickly, and evacuation efforts are often physically inaccessible. As a result, persons with disabilities are frequently left behind during military operations, exposing them to a heightened risk of torture, ill-treatment, and lethal violence if discovered.

Under Article 11 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons...

Council of Europe Opens Convention on Environmental Crime for Signature
| By: Özge Karsu : December 10, 2025 |

On December 3, 2025, the Council of Europe opened for signature the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law, which a regional treaty to criminalize a broad range of environmental harms. The Convention will enter into force after receiving ten ratifications, including at least eight by Council of Europe members.

The Convention implements commitments made in the 2023 Reykjavík Declaration to strengthen the Council of Europe’s work on the human rights aspects of the environment. It also responds to growing concern over the transnational...

UN Security Council Removes Syrian Officials from the Sanctions List
| By: Özge Karsu : December 04, 2025 |

Photo by Patrick Gruban (CC BY-SA 4.0)

On November 6, 2025, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2799, removing two Syrian officials from the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions list. The delisted individuals included Syria’s transitional President, Ahmed al-Sharaa and the Interior Minister, Anas Hasan Khattab.

The resolution reaffirmed the Security Council’s respect for the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity of the Syrian Arab Republic and noted the Council’s intention to support Syria’s long-term reconstruction,...

Germany, Jordan, and the UK Jointly Call for an Immediate Ceasefire in Sudan
| By: Ylian Gassmi : December 04, 2025 |

On November 1, 2025, the foreign ministers of Germany, Jordan, and the United Kingdom issued a joint declaration calling for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan. Their statement was delivered during the Manama Dialogue security summit and responded to rapidly escalating atrocities in Darfur, particularly El-Fasher. This call followed multiple reports of mass killings, ethnically targeted violence, starvation, and the systematic use of sexual violence by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The three ministers stressed that the scale of the crisis rendered humanitarian assistance insufficient...

United States Withdraws from Universal Periodic Review
| By: Emma Yadene : December 01, 2025 |

Photo by Kevin Harber

On August 28, 2025, Juliette de Rivero, the Chief of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Branch of the Office of the United Nations, announced that the United States has withdrawn its engagement from the UPR. The review of the United States’ fourth cycle was scheduled for November 7, 2025, but the government failed to submit its National Report by the August deadline.

The UPR serves as a cooperative mechanism for the Human Rights Council to review state fulfillments of human rights obligations. During each cycle, UN members and observer states...

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