Laura Reyes, University of Minnesota Law Volume 35 Editor-in-Chief “We can arrest anyone we want,” a Salvadoran law enforcement officer remarked to a mother after detaining her son.[1] As of February 2024, more than 76,000 people—nearly two percent of the Salvadoran population—have been detained, imprisoned under inhumane conditions,[2] and are awaiting trial in El Salvador. [3] President Nayib Bukele’s militarized mano dura (firm hand) crackdown on gang violence, which has plagued the country for decades,[4] is resulting in mass arbitrary arrests as police scurry to meet arrest quotas.[5] A d ..read more

Tracking International Tax Avoiders, Brooke Meister Tax season is coming up for US based taxpayers and while the subject of tax is often the pinnacle of boredom for many, it is of vital importance to nearly every important topic that individuals and governments of all levels interact with. While tax itself can be a snooze, tax evasion and offshore accounts get their fair share of press coverage. In the past fifteen years, four large data leaks and countless articles from investigative journalists have exposed pieces of the vast system of tax avoidance employed by individuals and governments.[1 ..read more

The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which escalated with Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the recent invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has raised significant questions about the effectiveness and enforceability of international law. This blog post will examine the legal issues surrounding the conflict and their implications for the international legal system. One of the primary legal issues in the Ukraine-Russia conflict is the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. According to the United Nations Charter, all member states must respect the territorial i ..read more

International Adjudication vs. Judicial Remedies, Abirami Swaminath   The foremost authority on international law is the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, the various networks within the United Nations, including the treaties and charters that different nations have signed into, govern many fields of international law before the issue is handed to the ICJ. By becoming a party to the treaty, each State has the obligation to ensure that every person in the State can enjoy the rights set out in the treaty.[1] The right of individuals to complain about violations of their rights ..read more

The Ethiopia-Somaliland Naval Base Deal Is a Violation of International Law Aman Obsiye   On January 1, 2024, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Republic of Somaliland – an unrecognized secessionist region within the Federal Republic of Somalia.  The MOU grants Ethiopia twenty kilometers of coastal land in the Awdal province for fifty years to build a navy, in exchange for Ethiopia recognizing Somaliland as a sovereign state.  The Federal Government of Somalia, which is the internationally recognized government, has fiercely ..read more

Wendy Erickson The United Nations is in the process of negotiating a landmark global cybercrime treaty, which if adopted, will be the first binding U.N. instrument on cybercrime. The treaty has the backing of Russia, China and a number of other countries. Negotiations over the scope and content of the treaty have been dominated by conflict between Western countries and treaty proponents. The draft version of the treaty contains controversial provisions that raise concerns about the extent of national governmental surveillance powers and the overreach of cross-border investigations into cybercr ..read more

Anastasiya Kadukov Whether it’s the algorithms of TikTok or the AI of ChatGPT, technology is becoming more sophisticated every day. The world is changing, and emerging technology is surpassing society’s expectations. These platforms are transforming our relationship with the Internet and one another. Through these everchanging accelerated times comes a lot of fear and lack of control. The lack of concrete regulation has the international legal community at a crossroads. India bans TikTok on the grounds that “the activities these apps engage in are detrimental to India’s sovereignty and integri ..read more

Mikaela Braddy Smith In the United Kingdom (UK), a debate has sparked over a new bill that was introduced in Parliament on Thursday, December 7th – the “Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.[1] It aims to legally assert Rwanda as a safe country for asylum seekers, allowing the UK to turn away migrants without considering their asylum applications and instead send them elsewhere to settle.[2] It would also order courts to ignore British human rights law, international law, and European Court of Human Rights emergency orders which could deter or halt courts from deporting migrants to R ..read more

Jacob Vander Weit Accounts of hostility and contention between Greece and Turkey over the Aegean Sea have been recorded since the dawn of western literature.[1] Recent tensions between these two powers are once again rising, with both countries threatening the possibility of war.[2] Among many, one controversy of the most recent dispute regards Greece’s contested legal right to militarize the Eastern Aegean islands.[3] Turkey asserts Greece’s actions violate international treaties; Greece argues they have full legal authority to deploy military forces on those islands.[4]   Turkey claims ..read more

  Lexi Shields, University of Minnesota Law School   Shakira, the Colombian pop star known for iconic Latin hits such as “Whenever, Wherever” and “Hips Don’t Lie,” finds herself in the public eye for more than just her music career—for several years, she has been in a legal battle involving allegations of tax evasion.[1] The case began in December 2019, when Spanish officials accused Shakira of failing to pay 14.5 million euros during the 2012 to 2014 tax years.[2] In September 2023, additional charges were brought against Shakira for the alleged tax evasion of 6.7 million euros on h ..read more