On October 3, 2025, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child released an inquiry report finding that France committed grave and systemic violations of the rights of unaccompanied migrant children. Conducted under Article 13 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the inquiry revealed serious flaws in France’s age-assessment procedures. The Committee found that the presumption of minority, which ensures children are treated as such until proven otherwise, is applied only until an initial decision is made. Once classified as adults, many are excluded from...
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.
In Tsatani v. Greece, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) examined whether disciplinary proceedings against a Greek prosecutor complied with Article 6(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to fair and impartial hearings. The applicant, Tsatani, faced disciplinary actions initiated by the President of the Court of Cassation after she closed a criminal investigation into alleged fraud involving Greek and Cypriot individuals.
Tsatani filed a recusal request, arguing that the President had a conflict of interest and could not be impartial. She...
Photo by Voice of America
The UN Security Council adopted resolution S/RES/2794 (2025) to extend Haiti’s sanctions regime for an additional year in response to the rising threat of gang violence. The renewed measures aim to combat the country’s high levels of homicide, kidnapping, trafficking, and sexual violence, all of which continue to undermine stability. The illegal trade and distribution of weapons to armed gangs further threaten Haiti’s rule of law.
The original 2022 resolution established a travel ban, asset freeze, and arms embargo, targeting both...
On October 28, 2025, the European Commission announced preliminary findings that TikTok and Meta (for both Facebook and Instagram) breached their transparency and user-protection obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The findings remain preliminary and do not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.
As a key transparency obligation, the DSA requires providing researchers with data access. However, the findings of the Commission include failures to grant researchers adequate access to public data.
Further, regarding Meta, the Commission’s preliminary assessment...
On October 28, 2025, the European Commission announced preliminary findings that TikTok and Meta (for both Facebook and Instagram) breached their transparency and user-protection obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The findings remain preliminary and do not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.
As a key transparency obligation, the DSA requires providing researchers with data access. However, the findings of the Commission include failures to grant researchers adequate access to public data.
Further, regarding Meta, the Commission’s preliminary assessment...
On July 25, 2025, the France’s highest court delivered its judgment dismissing an appeal of a former Syrian Minister of the Economy and Governor of the Central Bank of Syria, who were indicted in France for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The appellant argued that, under customary international law, state officials enjoy functional immunity for acts committed in the exercise of sovereign functions, even when such acts are alleged to constitute serious international crimes. He claimed that the investigating chamber erred in denying him that immunity.
The Court rejected...
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) adopted Resolution 634 during its 83rd Ordinary Session—May 2-22, 2025. The resolution constitutes a significant development, as it links Africa’s structural economic challenges—including resource exploitation, debt, and inequitable financial relations—to the rights of peoples to development and to freely dispose of their wealth and natural resources under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The resolution grounds its reasoning in Articles 21, 22 and 24, which guarantee peoples’ rights to freely dispose of...
Photo by Paul Kagame, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
On June 27, 2025, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Rwanda signed the “Peace Agreement Between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda” in Washington, D.C., witnessed by the United States. The agreement represents a major diplomatic effort to restore peace and ensure regional stability in the region.
The Peace Agreement reaffirms both countries’ commitment to the Declaration of Principles of April 25, 2025, based on respect for sovereignty,...
The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the world’s leading institution for resolving international investment disputes, released its 2025 Annual Report. The report highlighted significant progress in efficiency, transparency, and global collaboration. Over the years, ICSID restructured its administrative processes to improve case management, enhance tribunal timeliness, and reduce costs.
The annual report emphasized ICSID’s commitment to procedural fairness and transparency, including detailed statistics on third-party funding disclosures, security...
On October 14, 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) delivered its judgment in the Case of B.F. v. Greece. The case concerned an Iranian asylum seeker detained in Greece who complained about the unlawfulness of his detention, the lack of effective remedies, and the absence of substantive judicial review.
The Court unanimously found that Greece violated Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights due to the applicant’s degrading treatment while detained for two months and eighteen days at the Kolonos police station, a facility lacking the amenities...