The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) found on Tuesday, 21 September 2021 that Russia was responsible for the assassination of former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko (Carter v. Russia, no. 20914/07, 21 September 2021). He died in 2006 after being poisoned in London with a rare radioactive substance. His death occurred after drinking a cup of green tea, which was …

Poland is a European Member State since its adhesion in 2004 to the European Union and for half a decade, the Polish government has been reshaping the country’s judicial system incurring in multiple and repeated violations on the most basic tenets of the rule of law, namely, the judiciary independence. Currently, Poland is embroiled in a legal struggle with the …

Genocide is perceived as the ‘crime of all crimes’ and the worst form of violence amongst humans (Rafter, 2016; 1). Yet, despite its recognition as a tragedy, policymakers are yet to fully acknowledge the relationship between human and national security and thus recognise genocide as a threat in the same way it recognises other threats (Gallagher, 2013). Security as a …

Sponsored by the UK Home Office, The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill is a proposed piece of legislation that makes the first major changes to the Public Order Act 1986 since 2003. If passed it will grant police, an “unprecedented extension” of powers to, inter alia, shut down peaceful protests with limited balances and checks in place to …

On June 14 2021 and on her last day in office, the chief prosecutor of the ICC, Fatou Bensouda, announced the conclusion of the preliminary examination into the Philippines and requested judicial authorisation to proceed with a formal investigation (ICC, 2021). The preliminary examination determined a “reasonable basis to believe that the Crime Against Humanity of murder has been committed” …

Universal Jurisdiction is a legal principle that allows a foreign state to prosecute an individual in their national courts for a limited number of international crimes regardless of who committed them, where they were committed and against whom (Cali, 2010). The increase in universal jurisdiction proceedings in recent years is promising but there are still fundamental challenges that must be …

The International Criminal Court (ICC) was founded in 1998 and was established through the Rome Statute with the purpose of prosecuting egregious international crimes, such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, when national jurisdictions are unable or unwilling to do so. It contributes directly to the fight against impunity and the strengthening of the rule of law. It …