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.
ECtHR Finds Ukraine Violated the Right to Respect for Private Life
| By: Özge Karsu : March 04, 2025 |

On February 13, 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled unanimously that Ukraine violated the right to respect for private life by carrying out unlawful surveillance against three Ukrainian nationals and their lawyer. The surveillance targeted three public officials accused of corruption and included phone tapping and covert video monitoring. Their defense lawyer was also placed under surveillance, with his phone conversations being wiretapped by authorities.

The ECtHR found that Ukraine’s secret surveillance measures were unlawful, as there was no documented legal...

UN Human Rights Committee Finds Albania Violated Roma Children’s Rights by Denying Birth Registration
| By: Özge Karsu : March 04, 2025 |

On February 20, 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Committee found that Albania violated the rights of three Roma children by failing to register their births. This left them legally unrecognized and at the risk of statelessness.

The children were born in Greece to Albanian parents, who lacked legal residency status in Greece. Due to the lack of proper documentation, the parents were not able to obtain full birth registration and were only given basic documentation. They were prohibited from officially naming their children, leaving the children’s birth records incomplete.

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U.S. Civil Rights Groups Sue Over Migrant Transfers to Guantánamo
| By: Özge Karsu : March 01, 2025 |

On March 1, 2025, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), and the ACLU of the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging the decision to transfer immigration detainees to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of ten individuals currently held in immigration detention within the United States.

The plaintiffs argued that the transfer policy violates federal law and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. They asserted that the...

European Commission Adopts New Proposals to Simplify Sustainability Rules
| By: Özge Karsu : February 25, 2025 |

On February 25, 2025, the European Commission adopted new proposals simplifying sustainability regulations for businesses. The proposal cited concerns that complex rules and excessive red tape are hindering competitiveness and discouraging economic investment within the EU. It included delaying the implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) for all available companies and revising other sustainability laws under the European Green Deal.

Commissioners Maria Luis Albuquerque and Valdis Dombrovskis introduced the initiative at a plenary debate of the...

FIDH: Thailand Violates Prisoners' Right to Health
| By: Özge Karsu : February 18, 2025 |

On January 20, 2025, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) submitted a report on Thailand to the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health. The report analyzed the right to health of individuals deprived of their liberty in Thailand. It concluded that Thailand has consistently failed to uphold the right to health of prisoners as guaranteed under Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and failed to meet the international minimum standards of prison management, such as the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of...

European Commission Integrates a Revised Code of Conduct into Digital Services Act
| By: Özge Karsu : February 18, 2025 |

On January 20, 2025, the European Commission and the European Board for Digital Services announced the integration of the “Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online +” (Code of Conduct +) into the Digital Services Act (DSA). Code of Conduct + was signed by Dailymotion, Facebook, Instagram, Jeuxvideo.com, LinkedIn, Microsoft hosted consumer services, Snapchat, Rakuten Viber, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube. It built on the original code of conduct which was signed in 2016 by Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube.

Code of Conduct + aims to enhance user safety by...

European Court of Human Rights Introduces the Ethics Council
| By: Özge Karsu : February 18, 2025 |

On January 27, 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) announced the creation of an Ethics Council to advise the President on judicial ethics. The Plenary Court adopted this decision during its session on 16 December 2024.

The Ethics Council will play a key role in addressing ethical dilemmas, preventing conflicts of interest, and upholding the judiciary’s credibility. It will consist of five members: the most senior Vice-President, the most senior Section President, and the three most senior sitting judges. The Court’s Registrar will assist the Council in its operations....

79 ICC Member States Reaffirm “Unwavering Support”
| By: Özge Karsu : February 07, 2025 |

On February 7, 2025, seventy-nine member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a joint statement reaffirming their “unwavering support” for the court’s operations, emphasizing its role in ensuring accountability for serious international crimes and delivering justice for victims.

The joint statement was issued in response to an executive order signed by the U.S. President Donald Trump, authorizing sanctions against the ICC officials, including asset freezes and travel restrictions. The U.S. executive order specifically targets the court’s efforts to investigate and...

Israel Announces Withdrawal from UN Human Rights Council
| By: Özge Karsu : February 06, 2025 |

On February 6, 2025, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced Israel's withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), citing long standing institutional bias against the country.

The letter addressed to the UNHRC president condemned the council’s treatment of Israel, stating that it has “traditionally protected serial human rights abusers by allowing them to hide from scrutiny” while demonizing Israel. It described the UNHRC as a “political tool” used to delegitimize the country.

The letter specifically criticized Item 7 of the agenda of the UNHCR,...

Trump Signs an Executive Order Sanctioning ICC
| By: Özge Karsu : February 06, 2025 |

On February 6, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to its issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The order imposes measures on ICC officials and their immediate families, including asset freezes, property restrictions, and bans on entry into the United States.

According to the executive order, the ICC has overstepped its mandate by asserting jurisdiction over non-member states, the U.S. and Israel. The U.S. described...

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