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U.N. Commission Finds That Israel Is Committing Genocide in Gaza: What Does It Mean?
On Sept. 16, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory (COI) published a report finding that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The Commission concluded that Israel has committed four of the five underlying acts of…
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The Trump Administration’s Use of State Power Against Media: Keeping Track of the Big Picture
Faced with a barrage of breaking news out of the Trump administration, it is easy to become paralyzed. This is arguably intentional: Flood the zone to ensure the news cycle is so overwhelming that the media (not to mention, the…
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US Arrests Former Syrian Prison Chief – But Will the Charges Prove Equal to His Crimes?
Samir Ousman al-Sheikh was about to board a one-way flight from Los Angeles to Beirut when his trip came to a sudden stop. Earlier this month, agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security arrested al-Sheikh, who has been charged with immigration…
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The Just Security Podcast: Unpacking the European Court of Human Rights Decision on Russia’s Violations in Ukraine
Today, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) delivered its highly anticipated judgement in the case of Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia–a watershed moment in international human rights law. In this episode, Just Security Executive Editor and professor at American University…
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Visa Revocations Disregard South Sudan War Risks, Overlook U.S. Communities’ Embrace of Refugees
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Saturday that the State Department was acting to “revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and prevent further issuance to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders.” The rationale for…
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The Imperative of Solidarity in Response to Assaults on Legal Services, Universities, and Independent Media
Through the fog of norm-defying news, at least one pattern is clear: President Donald Trump is targeting three bulwarks of democracy and the rule of law: lawyers (law firms and legal service organizations), academics (universities), and journalists (independent news media).…
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Connecting the Dots: Trump’s Tightening Grip on Press Freedom
A free press is a pillar of democracy, just as state-controlled media is a hallmark of autocracy. That is why monitoring actions that stifle the freedom of the press is a time-tested means of tracking the health of a democratic system. As…
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Taliban Charges Show US Dilemma, Double Standards in Opposing International Criminal Court
On Thursday, Jan. 23., 2025, International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan announced his Office is seeking arrest warrants for the Supreme Leader of the Taliban, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and the Chief Justice of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, for the crime against…
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Unpacking the Meta Announcement: The Future of the Information Ecosystem and Implications for Democracy
On Tuesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced plans to “eliminate fact-checkers” across Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, signaling a major shift in how the company handles misinformation. He also outlined plans to adopt a user-driven “community notes” system, inspired by Elon Musk’s approach…
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The ‘Year of Climate’ in International Courts
A backgrounder on how climate cases came before four international courts, with a summary of issues each court has been asked to address, offers a one-stop resource to refer to as opinions are issued in the weeks and months ahead.…
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Bec’s latest analysis, commentary & reporting.