On May 1, 2014, the Intergovernmental World Nature Organization (WNO) treaty entered into force. The treaty establishes the World Nature Organization, an intergovernmental organization with the core objective of “promot[ing] sustainable development, information and knowledge transfer among states, organizations and the economic sector, as regards preserving the natural environment, environmentally-friendly technologies, green economies, renewable energies, protection of resources, protection of water, forest, air, oceans and climate.” According to a press release, the WNO founding...
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 May 6, 2014, the United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia signed the Protocol to the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (CANWFZ) Treaty. According to a press release, “[t]he Protocol provides legally-binding assurances not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against CANWFZ treaty parties.” Five Central Asian states—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—are party to the treaty, which prohibits the states from “stationing of nuclear weapons within their territories.” The U.S. is not eligible to become a party to the treaty itself, but...
On May 6, 2014, according to a news article, the Vatican appeared for the second day before the U.N. Committee Against Torture in Geneva. During the hearings, the Vatican disclosed to the Committee that it had dismissed 848 priests in the past decade for sexual abuse of children and compensated victims billions of dollars. Final committee observations are due on May 23, 2014.
On May 4, 2014, according to a U.N. press release, Palestine acceded to five human rights treaties: The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and The Convention on the Rights of the Child. In addition, Palestine will become party to The Convention on the Rights of the Child on May 7 and will join both the...
On May 2, 2014, the UK High Court issued its decision in Serdar Mohammed v. Ministry of Defence, holding that the detention beyond ninety-six hours of Serdar Mohammed (SM), who was captured by UK armed forces in Afghanistan in 2010, was unlawful and that, under Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention), the UK Government is liable to compensate him. The Court reasoned that, although the original arrest and ninety-six-hour detention of SM was lawful under authorizations given to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) by United Nations...
On May 2, 2014, the Constitutional Court of Colombia ruled (Spanish only) that the Territorial and Maritime Dispute (Nicaragua v. Colombia) judgment by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) could not take effect without a treaty between Colombia and Nicaragua. According to a news article, in the judgment, rendered in November 2012, the ICJ “reduced the area of ocean that belonged to Colombia around its cluster of Caribbean islands, determining that a section of their maritime shelf belonged to Nicaragua.” According to the article, the Constitutional Court’s ruling “upholds the...
On May 1, 2014, the International Criminal Court (ICC) dismissed a communication seeking jurisdiction with respect to alleged crimes committed on Egyptian territory since June 1, 2013. According to the press release from the Office of the Prosecutor, the communication was lodged by “lawyers acting on behalf of, amongst others, the Freedom and Justice Party” on December 13, 2013 and “purported to be signed on behalf of the Government of Egypt.” The Prosecutor “determined that the purported declaration . . . was not submitted, as a matter of international law, by any person with the...
On April 30, 2014, the European Union signed the Marrakesh Treaty. According to the press release, the treaty “facilitates access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled.” Since the treaty was negotiated in June 2013, fifty-one states, including four EU member states, have signed the Treaty.
On April 23, 2014, the U.N. Secretary-General confirmed receipt of Tunisia’s notification of withdrawal of its declaration and reservations with regard to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Tunisian government stipulated in the letter “that it shall not take any organizational or legislative decision in conformity with the requirements of this Convention where such a decision would conflict with the provisions of chapter I of the Tunisian Constitution.” Tunisia ratified the Convention on September 20, 1985.
On April 28, 2014, thirty-five international lawyers and legal experts signed an open letter to the U.N. on humanitarian aid to Syria. The letter states “that there is no legal barrier to the UN directly undertaking cross-border humanitarian operations and supporting NGOs to undertake them as well.” The letter also maintains that, despite Security Council Resolution 2139 (2014), demanding humanitarian access across conflict lines and borders, Syria’s government has refused consent to cross-border aid, “causing millions to suffer.” According to a news article, on April 29, 2014, the U.N. “...