On May 30, 2016, the Extraordinary African Chambers in Dakar, Senegal sentenced former Chadian President Hissène Habré to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and torture. The charges concerned crimes committed in Chad during Habré’s tenure as president from 1982–1990. Chad’s National Commission of Enquiry estimated that Chadian security forces killed as many as 40,000 people during Habré’s rule. According to a human rights report, he was charged with crimes against humanity and torture as a member of a joint criminal enterprise and of war crimes based on command...
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.
On May 28, 2016, an Argentinian court (decision available in Spanish) convicted Reynaldo Bignone, former head of the military junta of Argentina from 1982–83, and fourteen of his associates for their participation in Operation Condor. The co-accused included fourteen military officers, thirteen from Argentina and one from Uruguay. According to a news report, Operation Condor was a conspiracy in the 1970s and 1980s between the right-wing military dictatorships of Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Brazil. It focused on eliminating government opponents and suspected communists...
On May 25, 2016, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2288 terminating sanctions against Liberia. According to a summary of the meeting at which the resolution was adopted, the thirteen-year-old sanctions regime originated in the aftermath of the 1999–2003 Liberian civil war. Sanctions consisted principally of a ban on arms imports into Liberia and a prohibition on exports of timber and diamonds from Liberia. According to a news report, sanctions were intended to support peacebuilding efforts and prevent the resumption of violence. Since their establishment,...
On May 24, 2016, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights issued its judgment in Biao v. Denmark, ruling that Danish immigration laws on family reunion were discriminatory. The complaint centered on the refusal of Danish immigration authorities to grant a married couple a residence permit for family reunion on the grounds that they did not comply with a provision of the Danish “Aliens Act” requiring that they not have stronger ties with another country (the so-called “attachment requirement”). The applicants claimed that this refusal constituted a violation of their...
On May 24, 2016, the United Nations Security Council condemned the May 23 terrorist attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Syrian coastal cities of Jableh and Tartous. The attacks killed or injured over 100 people. In a press statement, the Council reiterated its concern over the continued operation of ISIL, the al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front, and related terrorist groups in Syria and “condemned the negative impact of their presence, violent extremist ideology and actions on the stability of Syria, neighbouring countries and the region.” Council members...
On May 23, 2016, President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. will fully lift the arms embargo on Vietnam. According to this news report, this step follows the 2014 revision of the embargo, which eased restrictions and allowed Vietnam to purchase maritime surveillance and security-related equipment. While the lifting now allows Vietnam to purchase the full range of weapons, Obama stressed that the sale of arms in practice would depend on Vietnam’s human rights commitments.
On May 17, 2016, the United States Senate passed a bill allowing family members of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for any involvement in the terror attack. According to this news report, previous attempts to hold Saudi Arabia liable through various lawsuits alleging financial support of terrorism have been unsuccessful due to laws that grant foreign nations immunity from suits in U.S. courts. The new bill creates an exception to the immunity laws if foreign states are determined to be responsible for terrorist attacks that kill American citizens on U.S. territory. The Saudi Arabian...
On May 17, 2016, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Hungary violated the freedom of expression of members of parliament when it fined them for their conduct in parliament. According to the press release, the case concerned the fines imposed on several Hungarian members of parliament (MPs), who had protested bills by placing signs and banners near members who supported the proposed legislations and used a megaphone to present their views during the parliamentary sessions. The Court noted that while freedom of expression and parliamentary debate are “of fundamental importance in a...
On May 16, 2016, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations announced that the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) will enter into force on June 5, 2016, after thirty member states submitted their instruments of adherence. According to the press release, the PSMA’s will target illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing (IUU fishing), which “is responsible for annual catches of up to 26 million tonnes, with a value of up to USD 23 billion [and] undermines efforts to ensure sustainable fisheries and responsible fish stock management around the world.” The PSMA’s main...
On May 16, 2016, the Stockholm District Court sentenced a sixty-one-year-old man to life in prison for his participation in the Rwandan genocide. According to this news report, Claver Berinkindi, a nationalized Swedish citizen, was found to have participated in five massacres in 1994, both rallying people to join in the killings and taking an active part in them himself. The case marks the first time a Swedish court has awarded damages to victims of genocide, imposing payments to fifteen people who had lost relatives due to Berinkindi’s actions. According to this news report, Sweden...