'Not for the courts'? Al Haq, the arms trade, international law and judicial scope International Bar Association: Global Insight podcast · Episode

My latest podcast dives into a High Court case brought by Palestinian NGO Al-Haq against the UK government over arms sales to Israel. The ruling demonstrates the difficulty of using the domestic courts to challenge foreign policy decisions and enforce compliance with international law.

Seems like the right day to be posting this! The government today has committed to scrap Ofwat in a 'reset' of water industry regulation. Here is my news analysis on the issues with the UK system and challenges facing the water sector globally.

Post Office scandal: UK government to improve regulation to avoid miscarriages of justice The Post Office Scandal is described as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in legal history

In the wake of the #PostOfficeScandal — one of the UK's gravest miscarriages of justice — the government is seeking to reform private prosecutions. New proposals aim to improve transparency, accountability & fairness.
Written by @alice-johnson.bsky.social
www.ibanet.org/Post-office-...

Quote from Courtney Radsch: the real question is about dominance and power

Global Insight podcast: from enormous political donations and influence on US government policy to dominance in shaping narratives on social media, Elon Musk has been the most prominent of a number of billionaires impacting the course of democracy...
www.ibanet.org/Protecting-d...

An English gentleman, a crooked lawyer: the secrets of Stephen David Jones The long read: With his brilliant mind and impeccable credentials, it’s little wonder that wealthy clients trusted him with their fortunes. Then they started to get suspicious

Incredible reporting by @hettieobrien.bsky.social. Thrilling read!

UK deregulation is risk to financial stability and ‘really concerning’ The UK government has introduced a deregulatory agenda aimed at boosting economic growth and generating wealth for working people

@alice-johnson.bsky.social writes on the UK government's new deregulatory agenda aimed at boosting economic growth and generating wealth for working people.
www.ibanet.org/UK-deregulat...

International Bar Association: Global Insight podcasts Podcast · IBA Global Insight · IBA Global Insight's podcast series covers a variety of themes in law, business and human rights, and features high-level speakers. The content within IBA Global Insigh...

My podcast on gender apartheid in Afghanistan is now available to listen to. The dire human rights situation in Afghanistan continues to escalate. The international community is pushing for gender apartheid to be recognised as a crime against humanity.

Quote from Benjamin Borsodi: In general, companies should continue efforts to fight against corruption and make sure they have proper compliance programmes

Read @alice-johnson.bsky.social piece on President Trump's pause on FCPA
www.ibanet.org//US-presiden...

Today is the 10th anniversary of the Modern Slavery Act. My feature includes insight from human rights experts and anti-slavery NGOs on why the legislation urgently needs reform.

Rule of law: almost half the world living in poverty The World Bank revealed in its 2024 Poverty and Shared Prosperity report that almost half the world’s population is living in poverty, subsisting on less than $6.85 per day

I wrote this article about poverty, and its relationship to the rule of law. 'Where the rule of law is weak, corruption, impunity, and lack of access to justice can perpetuate poverty, as resources and opportunities are not distributed equitably'.

Interview: Hina Jilani, Co-Chair of the IBA’s Human Rights Institute Council Pioneering lawyer and pro-democracy campaigner Hina Jilani has taken up the position of Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute…

@alice-johnson.bsky.social interviews Co-Chair of the International Bar Assocation's Human Rights Institute Council, Hina Jilani.

#mediafreedom #freedomofthepress

vimeo.com/1062861408?s...

Grenfell report: comprehensive failure over years put residents at risk In the years running up to the disastrous fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017, its residents were repeatedly failed by individuals, companies and elected officials that were supposed to ensure they ha...

www.ibanet.org/grenfell-rep...

Rule of law: Musk exposes cracks in UK political donations legislation Nigel Farage announced in December that Elon Musk was a giving ‘serious thought’ to donating to his political party

4️⃣ International Bar Association: Not everyone knows that the IBA also publishes some great journalism – here @alice-johnson.bsky.social and Isabelle Walker put the UK's political finance regime under the microscope.

"A tanker broadcasts its position in the Black Sea, near the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania. But a satellite image shows the vessel isn’t there; in reality, it’s hundreds of miles away near the Russian port of Taman..."

Many thanks to @alice-johnson.bsky.social for highlighting this growing issue 🧵

Rule of law: Musk exposes cracks in UK political donations legislation Nigel Farage announced in December that Elon Musk was a giving ‘serious thought’ to donating to his political party

Recent fears ahout Elon Musk potentially donating $100 million to Reform UK have reignited an important conversation about loopholes in the UK political donations law and the need for reform. Thanks to @spotlightcorruption.org and others for commenting.
www.ibanet.org/Musk-exposes...

Business and human rights: growing pressure to root out modern slavery in supply chains Pressure on companies to do more to root out modern slavery and other human rights harms in their supply chains is rising

Fast fashion company SHEIN and others are facing growing pressure to address risks of forced labour in global supply chains. Baroness Helena Kennedy KC believes the UK’s Modern Slavery Act needs updating.

www.ibanet.org/Business-and...

‘Sanctions are very dynamic in this way like a game of tennis […] so you have to be constantly adaptable and flexible in the response to it’
Professor Thomas Biersteker comments on the restrictive Western sanctions on Russia in an article by @alice-johnson.bsky.social.
www.ibanet.org/Russia-shado...

For this month’s edition of Global Insight I’ve written a feature on the Russian shadow fleet. Despite international efforts, enforcement challenges persist due to opaque ownership and weak penalties. Includes comment from @rusi.bsky.social and others.

The fall of Assad: an uncertain future for Syrian refugees After more than a decade of conflict, Syria remains the world’s biggest refugee crisis

Following the stunning fall of the Assad regime in December I've taken a look at what it means for the millions of Syrians forced to flee during the civil war.

www.ibanet.org/the-fall-of-...

Anti-corruption: additional funding for UK’s Serious Fraud Office ‘a drop in the ocean’ The UK government has provided the Serious Fraud Office with an extra £9.3m to improve its ability to tackle complex fraud and corruption cases

I wrote this news analysis about additional funding for the UK’s Serious Fraud Office, and how it won’t do much to even out the inequality of arms between the private and public sector.
Features comment from @spotlightcorruption.org
www.ibanet.org/serious-frau...

Grenfell: the avoidable tragedy Seven years on from the tragedy that saw 72 avoidable deaths, the judge-led inquiry has completed its reports. Global Insight assesses what went wrong, the lessons learnt and what needs to change.

The Dec/Jan edition of Global Insight is out! I lead with a feature on the Grenfell Inquiry. My article looks at the human rights failures and corporate greed that led to the devastating 2017 fire, and weighs up the significance of its 58 recommendations.

www.ibanet.org/Grenfell-the...