A Hong Kong court announced 14 convictions for pro-democracy activists on May 30, 2024 for conspiracy to commit subversion under the National Security law enacted in June 2020. The 16 defendants whose cases were decided on May 30 all pled not guilty, while the other 31 pled guilty. The case, brought in Feb. 2021, is the city’s largest to date under the National Security law, charging 47 pro-democracy defendants with subversion. Two defendants – former district councilors Lawrence Lau and Lee Yue-shun – were acquitted,...
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.
Despite a veto by pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili, the controversial "Foreign Influence" Law (translation here) was passed by the Georgian Parliament on May 28th. This law requires media outlets and NGOs to register as "foreign agents" if more than 20% of their funding comes from abroad.
The government maintains the law is necessary to counter foreign interference that could destabilize Georgia's democracy. However, critics,...
On May 15th, the former Gambian Minister of the Interior Ousman Sonko was convicted of crimes against humanity by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Sonko is the most senior state official to be convicted in Europe based on universal jurisdiction.
The court found that between 2000 and 2016, Soko, individually and as a member of a...
The European Council announced on May 14th, 2024 its adoption of the Pact on Migration and Asylum. The pact is a set of new rules managing migration and establishing a common asylum system at the EU level. The Pact includes four major pillars:
Robust screening: Those not fulfilling the conditions to enter the EU will be registered and subject to identification, security, and health checks. Eurodac asylum and migration database: The...
In a judgment passed down by Mr. Justice Smith of the UK High Court on May 14, 2024, it was determined that the certain amendments introduced by the Police Act of 2022 (a set of amendments to the Criminal Order and Public Order Act 1994) were in breach of Articles Eight and Fourteen of the European Convention of Human Rights.
As...
On April 24, 2024, President Biden approved a new law providing $95.2 billion in security assistance and foreign aid to countries including Ukraine, Israel, and countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Notably, the law includes a provision named Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act, which allows the government to use seized Russian assets to support humanitarian causes in Ukraine.
When Russia first attacked Ukraine...
On April 30, 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rejected Nicaragua's request to order Germany to halt military and other aid to Israel and renew funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in a preliminary ruling.
Nicaragua brought the case in March, claiming Germany violated its obligations under the Genocide Convention through its political, financial, and military support for Israel and withdrawal...
On April 8, 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) delivered a landmark decision in Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland, finding that States have a legal duty to take action to mitigate climate change. Ruling in favor of a Swiss association of over 2,000 Swiss women, the Court found that the Swiss government violated the human rights of its citizens by failing to do enough to combat climate change.
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On March 25, 2024, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution demanding a mandatory ceasefire in Gaza. Fourteen countries voted in favor of the resolution; the United States abstained from the vote.
This is the first resolution demanding a ceasefire to pass at the Council after four previous failures, including the most recent in which China and Russia vetoed a U.S. proposal last week. Previous to this resolution, the U.S. vetoed three draft resolutions concerning the Gaza conflict and abstained twice...
On March 6, 2024, South Africa submitted an urgent request to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to indicate further provisional and modify existing measures of the Court's previous orders in the South Africa v. Israel case. In its request, South Africa stated it was compelled to return to the Court due to new developments in Gaza, particularly the widespread starvation caused by Israel's actions.
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