EJIL: Talk!
- Obligations Erga Omnes and Climate Change: Reflections on the ICJ Advisory Opinion août 8, 2025On 23 July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered its long-awaited Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change (for an overview of the opinion, see here). The ICJ identified the erga omnes character of specific obligations pertaining to the protection of the climate for the first time, and […]Luciano Pezzano
- Harmonious Interpretation, Lex Specialis, and IHL-Compliance in Ukraine and the Netherlands v Russia: An Open Question on the Right to Life août 8, 2025The judgment of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in Ukraine and the Netherlands v Russia addresses a number of significant questions in international law (see initial analysis by Marko Milanovic here). In this post, we focus on one important issue on which the Court did not give a clear-cut answer: […]Miles Jackson
- Looking Ahead: Implications of the Inter-State Judgment in Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia for Individual Applications août 7, 2025As the historical judgement is made, the ECtHR must ensure meaningful consideration of individual applications connected to Russia’s war against Ukraine. On July 9, 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) delivered a historic judgment in four inter-state applications, holding Russia accountable for widespread and flagrant human rights violations in the context of the […]Alina Pavliuk
- Effectiveness vs. Legitimacy of Governments at the IACtHR août 7, 2025In February 2025, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR; the Court) heard oral arguments in the case Chirinos Salamanca and others v. Venezuela. The case concerns 14 police officers that were charged with the murder of a journalist and then incarcerated and allegedly tortured in the infamous “Helicoide” prison in Caracas. The hearing, however, […]Florian Kriener
- The British Statement on Recognition of Palestine: A Reply to Marko Milanovic août 6, 2025In disagreeing with a letter on the possible British recognition of Palestine, which I signed with other parliamentarians, Marko contends that the argument that Palestine satisfies the Montevideo criteria for statehood and the argument that it does not are equally reasonable, and that any British recognition of Palestine “would be perfectly lawful”. In an interview, […]Guglielmo Verdirame
- The Unyielding Right to Assist Civilians in Gaza août 6, 2025The United Kingdom, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates began airdropping humanitarian assistance into Gaza in the last days of July. They did so as the number of children dying of starvation grew. The extent of hunger and its causes in Gaza are detailed in a July 30 post by Dannenbaum and de Waal here. […]Mary Ellen O'Connell
- Codify and progressively develop in times of (liquidity) crisis: The importance of time for the International Law Commission août 5, 20251. Introduction On 28 April 2025, the International Law Commission (ILC) held the first meeting of its 76th session in Geneva. However, the atmosphere this year was overshadowed by one pressing concern: time constraints. In its 75th session, the ILC had decided that, as usual, this session would be held in two parts: from 14 […]Mario Pasquale Amoroso
- The Great Reset: The ICJ Reframes the Conduct Responsible for Climate Change Through the Prism of Internationally Wrongful Acts août 4, 2025For the last six years, together with a handful of colleagues and friends from around the world, we have worked with the Government of Vanuatu to develop and implement a legal strategy to turn the aspiration of a group of students from the Pacific into a reality, bringing climate change before the International Court of […]Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh
- Announcements: Evidence Matters Conference; ISIL Review Conference; BIICL Training Programme; CfP Max Planck Yearbook of UN Law; CfA UN Research Colloquium; CfP Mass Atrocities, Environmental Degradation & Communities’ Rights; UN Audiovisual Library of International Law; CfP Tackling Human Rights, Environmental Protection & Business; CfA U.S. & International Law in Changing Times Conference; CfP Polish Review of International and European Law août 3, 20251. International Conference: Evidence Matters Before Regional Human Rights Courts – The African Court in Critical and Comparative Perspective. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, this Conference investigates a key but understudied element of international human rights judicial proceedings – evidence. How is the factual basis of a human […]Mary Guest
- Unrecognized Governments and the ICC Redux: Could Afghanistan Withdraw from the Rome Statute? août 1, 2025In January 2025, the Office of the Prosecutor applied for warrants to arrest Haibatullah Akhundzada, the Supreme Leader of the Taliban and de facto leader of Afghanistan, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the Chief Justice of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds under article 7(1)(h) of the […]Kevin W. Gray