On January 28, 2015, UN human rights experts released a statement welcoming El Salvador’s decision to pardon a woman convicted of aggravated homicide after she suffered a miscarriage. The experts noted that the decision “must mark a turning point for the authorities to review the sentences against all women jailed for pregnancy-related complications.” Noting that the country had “one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world,” the experts urged El Salvador to “comply with its international obligations and ensure access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including...
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 January 27, 2015, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) began the transfer of its judicial documents to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (the Mechanism). The Mechanism was established by Security Council Resolution 1966 (2010) “to carry out a number of essential functions of the Tribunals, including the trial of fugitives who are among the most senior leaders suspected of being most responsible for crimes, after the closure of the Tribunals.” According to the press release, the ICTY’s records, which include “a complete index, as...
On January 26, 2015, the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) reported its adoption of the WTO Appellate Body’s report finding Argentina’s unwritten import measures in breach of WTO rules. In their respective complaints against Argentina—DS 438, DS 445, and DS 444—the European Union, Japan and the United States contested Argentina’s “unwritten trade-related requirements measure[s] (such as a request to importing companies to export at least as much as they import or to increase the local content of products made in Argentina), and the Advance Sworn Import...
On January 25, 2015, the U.S. and India released a Joint Statement listing various forms of cooperation between the two states discussed during President Obama’s recent visit to India, including the finalization of the 2015 Framework for the U.S.-India Defense Relationship. In a statement, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that the “renewed framework will support stronger military-to-military engagement, including deeper maritime cooperation and increased opportunities in technology and trade.” According to a news article, the agreement “included the joint production of drone aircraft...
On January 21, 2015, delegates from three factions of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) signed an agreement laying out steps to reunite the opposing party factions. According to a news article, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomes the agreement and “calls for its immediate implementation, particularly the recommitment of President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar to respect the cessation of hostilities agreement, and encourages the signatories to resolve the leadership issues of the SPLM.” The conflict between the party factions began in December 2013 “and subsequently turned...
On January 22, 2015, acting under chapter VII of the UN Charter, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution renewing the sanctions regime and imposing additional measures against the Central African Republic (CAR). The resolution renewed the measures imposed by resolutions 2127 (2013) and 2134 (2014) and extended a travel ban and asset freeze against designated individuals “through 29 January 2016.” The Council defined designated individuals as those determined by the Central African Republic Sanctions Committee, established by resolution 2127 in 2013, to be “engaging in or...
On January 21, 2015, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemned the judicial execution of Charles Warner by the state of Oklahoma in the United States, which occurred on January 15, 2015. According to the press release, on May 20, 2014, the IACHR granted Mr. Warner’s request for precautionary measures in response to a petition filed on his behalf alleging violations of his rights under the American Declaration and asked the United States to refrain from executing him until it had made a decision on the petition. The IACHR condemned the United States’ failure to “comply...
On January 20, 2015, Somalia ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), becoming the 195th state party to the Convention. The UN Children’s Fund applauded the step and noted in a press release that “[t]he ratification process will be finalized once the Government of Somalia deposits the instruments of ratification with the United Nations in New York.” Somalia had been one of three states—the others being the United States and South Sudan—that had yet to ratify the Convention. In a news article, the UN highlighted the significance of the occasion by noting that “while the...
On January 18, 2015, the chairpersons of the ten human rights treaty bodies released a Joint Statement urging member states to ensure that the post-2015 development agenda goals align with international human rights standards. The chairpersons encouraged member states to recognize that “in addition to economic and social rights, the inclusion of civil and political rights is a significant step towards a balanced and transformative agenda that addresses freedom from fear along with freedom from want.” They agreed with the Secretary General’s call for the “institutionalized flow of...
On January 19, 2015 the United Nations Security Council (the Council) issued a Presidential Statement that strongly condemned the recent escalation of attacks by Boko Haram in Nigeria and demanded that the terrorist group “immediately and unequivocally cease all hostilities and all abuses of human rights” and release all hostages, including the 276 schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014. According to a press release, the Council deplored all human rights abuses by Boko Haram since 2009, “including those involving violence against civilian populations, notably woman and...