Politics and International Law
@politicsintllaw.bsky.social
Teaching support for: "Politics and International Law: Making, Breaking, and Upholding Global Rules" by Leslie Johns, Professor of Political Science and Law, UCLA
People in Tanzania want election reforms. After a crackdown on protests, the election is charging over a hundred people with treason. Tanzania’s leader used to be called “Mama Samia.” Now people are calling her “Idi Amin Mama.” #HumanRights
www.worldpoliticsreview.com/tanzania-ele...
www.worldpoliticsreview.com/tanzania-ele...
A Brutal Post-Election Crackdown in Tanzania Leaves Lasting Scars
After hundreds of people were reported killed by security forces, experts say the country will never be the same.
www.worldpoliticsreview.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:20 PM
People in Tanzania want election reforms. After a crackdown on protests, the election is charging over a hundred people with treason. Tanzania’s leader used to be called “Mama Samia.” Now people are calling her “Idi Amin Mama.” #HumanRights
www.worldpoliticsreview.com/tanzania-ele...
www.worldpoliticsreview.com/tanzania-ele...
Human Rights Watch says that the Mali army has killed dozens of civilians in an insurgent area. Mali says the people were collaborating with terrorists. #ArmedConflict www.reuters.com/world/africa...
www.reuters.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Human Rights Watch says that the Mali army has killed dozens of civilians in an insurgent area. Mali says the people were collaborating with terrorists. #ArmedConflict www.reuters.com/world/africa...
Some Palestinians are desperate to leave Gaza. They pay for flights to unknown locations. Now evidence suggests that the flights are linked to Israel. Sounds like humanitarianism to me. #MigrationLaw www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Inside the Israeli-Linked Flights Carrying Palestinians Out of Gaza
A little-known organization that facilitates exits and takes payment in cryptocurrency has flown nearly 400 people out on three flights.
www.wsj.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Some Palestinians are desperate to leave Gaza. They pay for flights to unknown locations. Now evidence suggests that the flights are linked to Israel. Sounds like humanitarianism to me. #MigrationLaw www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Brazil is creating new indigenous territories, which will have special protections for their culture and environment. #HumanRights #EnvironmentalLaw bbc.com/news/article...
Brazil creates new Indigenous territories during protest-hit COP30
President Lula's government recognises 10 new Indigenous lands in an effort to protect their culture and environment.
bbc.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Brazil is creating new indigenous territories, which will have special protections for their culture and environment. #HumanRights #EnvironmentalLaw bbc.com/news/article...
Ukraine has used ATACMS to strike Russian territory. These long-range missiles require US intelligence for targeting. This could signal a new role for the US in the Ukraine War. #UseOfForce
www.wsj.com/world/europe...
www.wsj.com/world/europe...
Ukraine Strikes Russia With Atacms After Trump Lifted Long-Range Missile Ban
Kyiv acknowledged using the missile system, which relies on American intelligence for targeting, for the first time since the U.S. removed restrictions on its use.
www.wsj.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Ukraine has used ATACMS to strike Russian territory. These long-range missiles require US intelligence for targeting. This could signal a new role for the US in the Ukraine War. #UseOfForce
www.wsj.com/world/europe...
www.wsj.com/world/europe...
Roger Lumbala is being prosecuted in Paris for crimes in the DR Congo. He says the court lacks jurisdiction & refuses to appear in court. He won’t let his lawyers appear either. "Things are a bit unbalanced”. #UpholdingIL #ArmedConflict #CriminalLaw www.justiceinfo.net/en/152396-fi...
Lumbala trial: Filling the void
The trial of former Congolese rebel leader Roger Lumbala opened in France on November 12. The accused rejects the French court’s right to try him, while his defence team has been silenced.
www.justiceinfo.net
November 19, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Roger Lumbala is being prosecuted in Paris for crimes in the DR Congo. He says the court lacks jurisdiction & refuses to appear in court. He won’t let his lawyers appear either. "Things are a bit unbalanced”. #UpholdingIL #ArmedConflict #CriminalLaw www.justiceinfo.net/en/152396-fi...
ICYMI: An expert fact-finding mission issued a report on Russia’s treatment of prisoners of war. The report documents extensive likely violations of intl law. #ArmedConflict www.ejiltalk.org/the-moscow-m...
The Moscow Mechanism Expert Report on the Treatment of Ukrainian Prisoners of War by the Russian Federation
In July 2025, forty-one OSCE participating States, in cooperation with Ukraine, invoked the OSCE Moscow Mechanism to examine the treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) by the Russian Federatio...
www.ejiltalk.org
November 18, 2025 at 7:35 PM
ICYMI: An expert fact-finding mission issued a report on Russia’s treatment of prisoners of war. The report documents extensive likely violations of intl law. #ArmedConflict www.ejiltalk.org/the-moscow-m...
Progressive Afrikaners are angry that Trump uses the word “genocide” to describe expropriation from and attacks on white South African farmers. Other Afrikaners say the progressives just don’t understand what’s going on. #HumanRights f24.my/BZ1C.X
'Not in our name': Afrikaners push back against Trump’s false white genocide claims in South Africa
While the US has announced special treatment for white South Africans seeking asylum, local division between left and right leaning groups in South Africa deepens.
f24.my
November 18, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Progressive Afrikaners are angry that Trump uses the word “genocide” to describe expropriation from and attacks on white South African farmers. Other Afrikaners say the progressives just don’t understand what’s going on. #HumanRights f24.my/BZ1C.X
Fiji is developing an oyster farming trade in response to illegal fishing by foreign boats. The oysters are a sustainable way for Fiji residents to feed themselves and create an export economy in pearls. Help Fiji: go buy some pearls! #SeaLaw #EnvironmentalLaw aje.io/yirasl
The oyster farmers battling climate change in Fiji’s troubled seas
As fishing traditions are threatened by storms and poachers, pearl oyster farms offer a lifeline to coastal communities.
aje.io
November 18, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Fiji is developing an oyster farming trade in response to illegal fishing by foreign boats. The oysters are a sustainable way for Fiji residents to feed themselves and create an export economy in pearls. Help Fiji: go buy some pearls! #SeaLaw #EnvironmentalLaw aje.io/yirasl
A railway from Poland to Ukraine has exploded. The Polish govt is blaming individuals acting under instructions of a foreign govt. #BreakingIL #UseOfForce f24.my/BZ7W.X
Polish PM denounces ‘sabotage’ after explosion hits railway line to Ukraine
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has condemned an explosion that damaged a key rail line to Ukraine as an “unprecedented act of sabotage” on Monday, saying it may have been ordered by foreign intel...
f24.my
November 17, 2025 at 2:26 PM
A railway from Poland to Ukraine has exploded. The Polish govt is blaming individuals acting under instructions of a foreign govt. #BreakingIL #UseOfForce f24.my/BZ7W.X
Chinese investors are about to open the Simandou mine in Guinea, a project previously pursued by UK and Australia investors. China believes that it will transform the iron ore market. Let’s hope a bridge doesn’t collapse. #InvestmentLaw www.ft.com/content/9fe8...
How the world’s biggest mining project is a win for China
The $23bn Simandou mine in Guinea has taken almost three decades to begin operating but could tilt the balance of power in the global iron ore market
www.ft.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Chinese investors are about to open the Simandou mine in Guinea, a project previously pursued by UK and Australia investors. China believes that it will transform the iron ore market. Let’s hope a bridge doesn’t collapse. #InvestmentLaw www.ft.com/content/9fe8...
Experts warn that AI robots should not be made for personal use by vulnerable people. They can discriminate against minorities and take away mobility aids, like canes and wheelchairs, from disabled people. #HumanRights www.euronews.com/next/2025/11...
AI-powered robots are ‘unsafe’ for personal use, scientists warn
The AI models were prone to safety failures and discrimination, a new study found.
www.euronews.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Experts warn that AI robots should not be made for personal use by vulnerable people. They can discriminate against minorities and take away mobility aids, like canes and wheelchairs, from disabled people. #HumanRights www.euronews.com/next/2025/11...
Marco Rubio has called for states to cut arms shipments to the RSF in Sudan. #UseOfForce bbc.com/news/article...
Sudan conflict: Marco Rubio calls for international action to cut weapons supplies to RSF
"They're committing acts of sexual violence and atrocities," says the US secretary of state, "and it needs to end immediately".
bbc.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Marco Rubio has called for states to cut arms shipments to the RSF in Sudan. #UseOfForce bbc.com/news/article...
Italian prosecutors are investigating claims that tourists paid to shoot civilians during the Bosnian War. Such “sniper safaris” have been rumored for decades. #ArmedConflict #CriminalLaw
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Italy probes claim that tourists paid to go to Bosnia to kill besieged civilians
Italians and others are alleged to have paid large sums to fire at Bosnians risking their lives in besieged Sarajevo.
www.bbc.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Italian prosecutors are investigating claims that tourists paid to shoot civilians during the Bosnian War. Such “sniper safaris” have been rumored for decades. #ArmedConflict #CriminalLaw
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Israeli lawyers counseled their govt not to implement a plan that might violate intl law. The govt listened to the experts, and dumped the plan. Then others used the advice as evidence of genocide. #HumanRights #ArmedConflict #Antisemitism
www.justsecurity.org/124589/clari...
www.justsecurity.org/124589/clari...
A Point of Clarification Re the International Lawyers’ Statement on Gaza
Israeli international law scholars write about their prior letter published by Just Security and a recent article published at Just Security as well.
www.justsecurity.org
November 13, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Israeli lawyers counseled their govt not to implement a plan that might violate intl law. The govt listened to the experts, and dumped the plan. Then others used the advice as evidence of genocide. #HumanRights #ArmedConflict #Antisemitism
www.justsecurity.org/124589/clari...
www.justsecurity.org/124589/clari...
In Sudan, the RSF allegedly attacked a hospital, killing over 460 patients. One doctor provides testimony about the massacre. #ArmedConflict bbc.com/news/article...
Sudan war: el-Fasher hospital worker describes 'state of terror' before fleeing alleged massacre
"I have lost the people whose faces I used to see smiling," says Abdu-Rabbu Ahmed after escaping el-Fasher.
bbc.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:41 PM
In Sudan, the RSF allegedly attacked a hospital, killing over 460 patients. One doctor provides testimony about the massacre. #ArmedConflict bbc.com/news/article...
The Houthis seem to have stopped their Red Sea attacks because of the Gaza ceasefire. But they are still holding UN staff as hostages, claiming they are Israeli spies. There’s a new hostage crisis that people are ignoring. #UseOfForce #Terrorism aje.io/moz86l
Yemen’s Houthis appear to pull back from Red Sea shipping attacks
The Houthis' maritime campaign has killed at least nine mariners and seen four ships sunk.
aje.io
November 12, 2025 at 10:25 PM
The Houthis seem to have stopped their Red Sea attacks because of the Gaza ceasefire. But they are still holding UN staff as hostages, claiming they are Israeli spies. There’s a new hostage crisis that people are ignoring. #UseOfForce #Terrorism aje.io/moz86l
African states are making progress in outlawing torture. Yet most of these states don’t recognize torture by nonstate actors, like rebel groups. Winona Xu reviews how this limits accountability for mass rapes. #HumanRights #ArmedConflict lieber.westpoint.edu/beyond-state...
Beyond the State: Reforming Africa’s Anti-Torture Framework to Address Non-State Violence - Lieber Institute West Point
This post examines how African jurisprudence has classified mass rape as torture and highlights progressive national laws.
lieber.westpoint.edu
November 12, 2025 at 4:53 PM
African states are making progress in outlawing torture. Yet most of these states don’t recognize torture by nonstate actors, like rebel groups. Winona Xu reviews how this limits accountability for mass rapes. #HumanRights #ArmedConflict lieber.westpoint.edu/beyond-state...
The US Navy has sent its largest aircraft carrier to water off the coast of Venezuela. A US spokesman said the carrier will assist in drug strikes. But the presence of the carrier is also interpreted as a threat to the Maduro regime. #UseOfForce www.wsj.com/world/americ...
Arrival of U.S.’s Largest Warship Ratchets Up Pressure on Venezuela
The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group is in waters off Latin America, as the buildup of U.S. forces continues in the Caribbean.
www.wsj.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:55 PM
The US Navy has sent its largest aircraft carrier to water off the coast of Venezuela. A US spokesman said the carrier will assist in drug strikes. But the presence of the carrier is also interpreted as a threat to the Maduro regime. #UseOfForce www.wsj.com/world/americ...
The Netherlands is prosecuting a Libyan human trafficker who exploited Eritrean refugees. Eritrean migrants are closely watching the trial: “We don’t have any experience of such trials in our country, so everybody is happy to be here” #HumanRights #MigrationLaw
www.justiceinfo.net/en/151860-ex...
www.justiceinfo.net/en/151860-ex...
The “quite extraordinary” trial of human trafficker Walid
Eritrean Amanuel Walid is tried in The Netherlands for leading an international criminal network that detained, tortured, raped and extorted Eritrean refugees in Libya.
www.justiceinfo.net
November 12, 2025 at 2:42 PM
The Netherlands is prosecuting a Libyan human trafficker who exploited Eritrean refugees. Eritrean migrants are closely watching the trial: “We don’t have any experience of such trials in our country, so everybody is happy to be here” #HumanRights #MigrationLaw
www.justiceinfo.net/en/151860-ex...
www.justiceinfo.net/en/151860-ex...
Ecuador has a prison problem. Overcrowded prisons have led to prison riots and mass killings inside a prison. #HumanRights bbc.com/news/article...
Dozens of inmates found hanged in Ecuador prison
Prison guards found 27 bodies hours after another four inmates were killed in clashes between rival gangs.
bbc.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Ecuador has a prison problem. Overcrowded prisons have led to prison riots and mass killings inside a prison. #HumanRights bbc.com/news/article...
Norway issued fossil fuels licenses in the Barents Sea. Climate activists wanted the European Ct of Human Rights to declare the licenses violated intl law. Pranav Ganesan argues the Court erred in focusing on procedure. #UpholdingIL #HumanRights #EnvironmentalLaw www.ejiltalk.org/leaving-out-...
Leaving Out ‘Leaving it in the Ground’: The ECtHR’s Greenpeace Nordic Judgment
Introduction On 28 October 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) pronounced its judgment in the case of Greenpeace Nordic and Others v Norway, a case concerning the issuance of licenses for...
www.ejiltalk.org
November 11, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Norway issued fossil fuels licenses in the Barents Sea. Climate activists wanted the European Ct of Human Rights to declare the licenses violated intl law. Pranav Ganesan argues the Court erred in focusing on procedure. #UpholdingIL #HumanRights #EnvironmentalLaw www.ejiltalk.org/leaving-out-...
The ICC wants to prosecute Taliban leaders for their treatment of women. But “gender apartheid” isn’t actually a crime under the Rome Statute. Axana Soltan examines various legal tactics for prosecuting Taliban leaders. #HumanRights #CriminalLaw opiniojuris.org/2025/11/10/f...
From Persecution to Apartheid: The ICC’s Next Legal Frontier for Women’s Rights
[Axana Soltan is an international lawyer and legal scholar specializing in international criminal law, human rights, and gender justice. She is a U.S. Eisenhower Scholar at the University of Oxfor…
opiniojuris.org
November 11, 2025 at 2:39 PM
The ICC wants to prosecute Taliban leaders for their treatment of women. But “gender apartheid” isn’t actually a crime under the Rome Statute. Axana Soltan examines various legal tactics for prosecuting Taliban leaders. #HumanRights #CriminalLaw opiniojuris.org/2025/11/10/f...
Syria is joining the US coalition to destroy ISIS. Maybe ISIS shouldn’t have tried to assassinate Syria’s new leader. Bad move. #UseOfForce www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Syria to Join Coalition Against Islamic State as Nation’s Leader Visits Trump
Meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa is the first-ever visit by a Syrian head of state to the White House.
www.wsj.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Syria is joining the US coalition to destroy ISIS. Maybe ISIS shouldn’t have tried to assassinate Syria’s new leader. Bad move. #UseOfForce www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Drones are changing warfare and manufacturing capacity matters. James B. Meigs argues that things will get “awkward” if the US ever needs to fight China. The US needs to rethink its supply chains. #TradeLaw #ArmedConflict www.commentary.org/articles/jam...
Begun, the Drone Wars Have
Just a dozen years ago, small drones were mostly high-tech playthings for hobbyists. DIYers assembled backyard drones from kits, while a handful of U.S. start-ups—including 3D Robotics, a company laun...
www.commentary.org
November 7, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Drones are changing warfare and manufacturing capacity matters. James B. Meigs argues that things will get “awkward” if the US ever needs to fight China. The US needs to rethink its supply chains. #TradeLaw #ArmedConflict www.commentary.org/articles/jam...