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Litograph showing 3 judges in period costumes (1845-1858) arguing.
A UN Judge convicted for slavery: power, politics and privilege
13 May 2025 by Lucy Gaynor
That the feeling of power and impunity leads to abuse is a recognised dynamic. It can also affect the staff of judicial institutions responsible for judging the worst crimes, as shown by the case of Ugandan judge Lydia Mugambe, who has just been convicted of slavery.
Searching for the missing in Syria. Photo: portrait of Karla Quintana wearing the official IIMP waistcoat in the field. Looking for the missing in Syria: “It’s titanic, but we are moving”
24 April 2025 by Julia Crawford
Mexican human rights lawyer Karla Quintana was appointed in December to head the UN’s Institution on Missing Persons in Syria. In an exclusive interview, she talked with Justice about how this body had to reshape its priorities after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
International law as seen from Israel. Photo: Members of the family of Naor Hassisim (murdered by Hamas on 7 October 2023) at his funeral in Israel. “A just war does not justify all means”
21 February 2025 by Pierre Hazan
Yaël Vias Gvirsman is a lawyer specializing in international humanitarian law and is founder of October 7 Justice Without Borders. She represents over 350 victims of Hamas, including 44 mainly Israeli hostages or former hostages, [...]
UNITAD teams on the ground in Iraq, helping to find mass graves where victims of the Islamic State organisation were buried. Photo: investigators and technicians (one wearing a waistcoat bearing the United Nations logo) work on a mass grave site. UNITAD’s unfulfilled goals for ISIS accountability in Iraq
19 November 2024 by Hawre Ahmed
On 17 September 2024, UNITAD, the United Nations Investigative team to promote accountability for crimes committed by Daesh/ISIS, concluded its mandate after seven years. Human rights activist and jurist Hawre Ahmed says the UN bo [...]
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Palestine/Israel: what are the recommendations of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in terms of law, and the United Nations resolution to stop and repair the Israeli occupation deemed illegal. Photo: Special session of the UN General Assembly during a vote on the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
7 October 2024 by Nada Kiswanson
Palestine-Israel: it’s time to implement a legal roadmap to peace A year after the October 7 attack, the war unleashed in response by Israel is spreading to the whole region. The UN’s World Court (ICJ) delivered in July an Opinion that has been followed, on September 18, by a large majority at t [...]
Ndélé 1 trial before the Special Criminal Court (CPS) - Photo: Azor Kalite, Charfadine Moussa, Antar Hamat and Oscar Wordjonodroba stand behind their lawyers in their orange prison uniforms.
30 May 2024 by Rodrigue le Roi Benga
At Ndélé’s first trial, in the Central African Republic On December 5, 2023, the Special Criminal Court (CPS), a UN-backed hybrid tribunal based in Bangui, opened its second trial, devoted to the so-called “Ndélé 1” case, a conflict between communities that claimed the lives of over 80 [...]
In-depth interview with Catherine Marchi-Uhel, Head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) for Syria. Image: drawing of Marchi-Uhel.
12 March 2024 by Julia Crawford
Catherine Marchi-Uhel: “The results of the Syria Mechanism are becoming more visible” Catherine Marchi-Uhel of France is the first head of the first UN evidence-gathering mechanism, the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) for Syria, created in 2016 in Geneva. After seven years in office, she w [...]
International Court of Justice (ICJ): 2 questions for peace in Palestine. Photo: view of the court during the hearing of South Africa (right) against Israel (left), facing the judges. 2 question marks are embedded in screens.
16 February 2024 by Janet H. Anderson
Israel occupation: ICJ goes to the heart of the “political deadlock” The two questions being debated from Monday 19 February - by 52 States and 3 international organisations - at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) goes all at once to the heart of the conflict that is raging, of the world lega [...]
Missing persons in Syria -
17 July 2023 by Asymmetrical Haircuts
Missing persons in Syria: why create a new UN body? A June 26 UN General Assembly resolution has created a new Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic (IIMPSAR). This comes after 12 years of conflict and violence, with at least 100,000 people reported [...]
Climate change - Cyclone in Vanuatu (2015)
30 May 2023 by Asymmetrical Haircuts
Vanuatu brings climate justice to the ICJ On March 29 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on climate change. The resolution was championed by the small Pacific Island nation [...]
Civilian buildings destroyed in Mariupol, Ukraine
16 March 2023 by AFP
UN investigation in Ukraine: Russian war crimes were committed at a "massive scale" A United Nations commission of inquiry established a year ago issued its first written report on March 16. It concludes that violations of the laws of war were committed "at a massive scale" by the Russian Federation in Ukraine. O [...]
Demonstration of Palestinian children holding up signs that read
13 January 2023 by Asymmetrical Haircuts
The occupation of Palestine back before the ICJ, why?  On New Year's Eve, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution seeking a new opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. The resolution, adop [...]
In Marioupol, Ukraine, a woman carries her child in her arms in the street. Behind her, Russian soldiers are patrolling. In the background: destroyed civilian buildings.
28 October 2022 by Julia Crawford
UN commission on Ukraine crimes “will seek to identify persons and entities” responsible After an oral update to the UN Human Rights Council last month, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry recently submitted its first report to the UN General Assembly. It has pointed to war crimes by Russian forces in [...]
Computer's screen: pages of a report on human rights in China's Xinjiang region by OHCHR (United Nations Human Rights)
1 September 2022 by AFP
Five key allegations in the UN's Xinjiang report The report long-feared by China finally came out, minutes before UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet was due to leave on the evening of 31 August. Summary of the substance of the report, which alleges that Beij [...]
High Military Court of Kinshasa in the Yumbi trial
14 January 2022 by Luc Henkinbrant
Transitional Justice in the DRC: How the UN has put it in a drawer On December 20, the United Nations Security Council extended the mandate of its mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for one more year. But the resolution adopted makes no mention of any task actively involving it in [...]
Pope Francis at the Vatican, accompanied by other church leaders
19 July 2021 by Julia Crawford
Church is obstructing justice for clerical child abuse, say UN experts Last month, the United Nations made public that four of their special human rights rapporteurs have complained to the Vatican about the lack of accountability for perpetrators of child abuse and reparation for victims. They called [...]
During a demonstration, a sign displays this text message:
26 March 2021 by Julia Crawford
Bachelet denounces continued inaction on Sri Lanka war crimes On Tuesday March 23, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a new resolution on Sri Lanka, including a new mandate and budget to collect evidence of war crimes. This followed a damning report to the Council by the High Co [...]