We at the IELR send you best wishes for a new year.  2023 was momentous for the international enforcement community, and we are grateful to have had you following along with our coverage during our 39th year of discussing international enforcement developments. We are grateful for the continuing long partnership with Professor Michael Plachta and for contributions from practitioners and professors, including the Aljohrh Al Abdulsalam, Basel Institute, Kayla de Alto, Dr. Ted Bromund, Frederick T. Davis, Uttam Dhillon,  Meg Hobbins, Valentina Lana, Elisabeth Lees, Luz E. Nagle,  K ..read more

On March 17, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the President of the Russian Federation  and Ms. Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, for committing the war crime of unlawful deportation of children and unlawful transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute. According to the ICC, the crimes were allegedly committed in Ukra ..read more

Confronting the heavy legal burden posed by the expected prosecution of thousands of suspected core international crimes committed within Ukraine’s borders, the Public International Law & Policy Group, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, and several international law experts formulated draft law for a Ukrainian High War Crimes Court (UHWC).  The proposal calls for a highly specialized domestic court dedicated to protecting society from war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, the crime of aggression, and related crimes recognized by Ukraine.  The overall policy goal of the UHWC ..read more

On July 13-14, the Ukraine Accountability Conference is being hosted by Wopke Hoekstra, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Karim A.A. Khan QC, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, and EU Commissioner of Justice Didier Reynders. The Conference is aimed at ensuring accountability for war crimes committed in Ukraine, according to Hoekstra in his opening speech, “Just like a climate strategy and a Covid strategy, we need an accountability strategy.”  Hoekstra continued, “A strategy driven by the universal belief that all of us are protected by law.  Ensuring t ..read more

Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by a gunshot to the head on May 11, 2022 while covering a raid being conducted by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in Jenin, a Palestinian city.   Because her death occurred during a live conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian opposition, responsibility for her death has caused international controversy. Videos shared on social media surrounding the incident in Jenin show clashes in the area beginning at 6:00am approximately 120 meters east of where Abu Akleh would later be killed before the end of the hour.  ..read more

On April 12, 2022, the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor released the 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices covering internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The abstract of the report notes a general continued democratic backsliding and incipient authoritarianism that pose a threat to human rights and democracy, specifically citing Russia’s attack on Ukraine.  Highlighted nations which have been found to unjustly imprison, torture, and even murder political opp ..read more

On March 23, 2022, Antony J. Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State accused Russia of making “indiscriminate attacks and attacks deliberately targeting civilians, as well as other atrocities. “Russia’s forces have destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, critical infrastructure, civilian vehicles, shopping centers, and ambulances, leaving thousands of innocent civilians killed or wounded.” Statement by Antony J. Blinken Blinken underscored that, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights observed in a March 11 report, Russian forces have targeted the Mariupol mate ..read more

On March 21, 2022, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., declared that Myanmar’s military has committed genocide against the Rohingya minority.   At present the Holocaust Museum features an exhibition on the atrocities against Burma’s Rohingya population. Blinken Declaration According to Blinken, the U.S. has examined evidence showing a clear intent to destroy the Rohingya with reports of killings, mass rape and arson. Blinken characterized the attacks against Rohingya “widespread and systematic.” Blinken said the a ..read more

On March 2, 2022, U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the start of Task Force KleptoCapture to enforce sanctions, export restrictions, and economic countermeausres the U.S. has issued, in coordination with U.S. allies, in response to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.  Task Force KleptoCapture will aim to enforce these actions that are designed to isolate Russia from global markets.  In particular, the U.S. restrictions target the crimes of Russian officials, government-aligned elites, and persons who help or conceal their unlawful conduct. Andrew C. Adams, co-chie ..read more

The conflict initiated by Russia in Ukraine has spouted one proceeding in an international tribunal and resulted in another monitoring the developments with an eye to starting an investigation.  On February 25, 2022, the International Criminal Court Prosecutor, Karim A.A. Khan QC issued a statement on the situation in Ukraine., He said he has been “closely  following recent developments in and around Ukraine with increasing concern.”  On February 27, Ukraine filed  an  application instituting  proceedings  against  the Russian  Federation  befo ..read more