Luke Moffett

Exclusive: ICC judges disqualify ICC prosecutor Khan from Duterte case, court document shows International Criminal Court (ICC) appeals judges have disqualified chief prosecutor Karim Khan from the war crimes case against former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte due to a possible conflict of interest, according to a copy of the decision seen by Reuters.

ICC judges disqualify ICC prosecutor Khan from Duterte case, court document shows www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

Asserting a License to Kill: Why the Caribbean Strike is a Dangerous Departure from the “War on Terror” An absence of credible legal basis for the Caribbean strike suggests the Trump admin is asserting a prerogative to kill outside the law.

Given the now fifth U.S. strike in the Caribbean, reposting my recent essay in @justsecurity.org.

There’s a word for premeditated killing outside of armed conflict.

www.justsecurity.org/120568/carib...

Members of Congress growing concerned over lack of information from administration about Venezuela strikes, sources say Republicans and Democrats say the administration is failing to share basic information with Congress about the intelligence, rationale and goals of its war on drug trafficking.

Once again, if the administration had a good story to tell on the law and facts, they would be telling it.

But they don’t, because these strikes are illegal.

And seems victims have all been civilians, because there is no armed conflict and no enemy combatants.

www.nbcnews.com/politics/nat...

Militia strikes kill at least 60 in Sudan displacement camp, says El Fasher group Drone and artillery strikes by RSF paramilitaries hit Dar al-Arqam shelter in western city, says resistance committee

“Children, women and the elderly were killed in cold blood, and many were completely burned. The situation has gone beyond disaster and genocide inside the city, and the world remains silent.”

RSF strikes kill at least 60 in Sudan displacement camp: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

El-Fasher attack: Dozens killed in drone strike in besieged Sudan city El-Fasher has been surrounded by the RSF for 17 months, as residents face hunger and starvation.

Drone strike by RSF in besieged Sudan city of El Fasher kills dozens of civilians
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Four AI Policy Choices Policymakers Can’t Afford to Get Wrong   Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of articles. Subsequent articles will examine answers to each of the four questions laid out below. As

Most AI debates fixate on budgets or “killer robots.” The deeper questions are harder. This article is the first in a series confronting them.

Canadian tech helped U.S. strike alleged Venezuelan drug boats: report | RCI Global Affairs Canada says it’s ‘aware of the U.S. operation and is monitoring the situation’

"There has to be more human rights oversight…. We are seeing Canadian weapons being misused."

Canadian tech helped U.S. strike alleged Venezuelan drug boats: @ploughshares_ca report ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/... #cdnfp #cdnpoli

Myanmar: At least 24 killed as paraglider bombs Buddhist festival Locals told the BBC the destruction from the motorised paraglider made it hard to identify victims.

At least 24 killed as paraglider drops bombs at Myanmar Buddhist festival it comes as the junta is running low on aircraft but is increasingly heavily bombarding civilians aligned with rebel groups #warcrimes
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Robot personhood/rights is conceptually bogus and legally puts more power/rights in the hands of those that develop and deploy robots/AI systems

firstmonday.org/ojs/index.ph...

Raphael Lemkin Coined the Word Genocide. What Would He Say Today? | The Tyee The haunting story of the refugee driven to name and prevent the greatest crimes of all.

As Lemkin knew, genocide hides in plain sight. “Genocide is so easy to commit because people don’t want to believe it until after it happens.”

Raphael Lemkin Coined the Word Genocide. What Would He Say Today? | ⁦‪@TheTyee‬⁩ thetyee.ca/Culture/2025...

Climate Policy, Volume 25, Issue 8 (2025)

🚨 NEW ISSUE: Issue 8 is out now, with the latest on #climatefinance, agro-pastoral #adaptation, the gap between #mitigation targets and #climatepolicy, the IMF's #climatepolicy approach, & more 💡

📣 Insights from @benclift.bsky.social @aliceclimate.bsky.social @lukemoffett.bsky.social & more ⬇️

Seeking Reparations in an Age of Impunity — REPAIR Reparations in international law are intended to remedy wrongful acts, and state practice in many countries sees them being used to remedy a wide range of historical and contemporary harm. Despite mos...

In case you missed it, our latest REPAIR lecture on 'Seeking Reparations in an Age of Impunity' by Prof. @lukemoffett.bsky.social is now available online, open access.

➡️Watch it here:
www.reparationsresearch.eu/lectures/see...

Proving Genocide This week, a UN commission of inquiry found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. NGOs and various other bodies have of course made that finding before. Proving genocide, in Gaza or elsewhere, invariably turns on proving the specific intent of the perpetrators. In this post, I do not want to get into the Gaza […]

This post by @profmarkovic.bsky.social on @ejiltalk.bsky.social provides an excellent analysis of the legal standards applicable to the crime of genocide, and an important perspective on when it does and doesn’t apply - all media should read it!

Troubles: Ireland commits to co-operate with reformed UK legacy body A new framework seeks to heal a rift between the UK and Irish governments created by the Legacy Act.

Ireland commits to co-operate with new Troubles legacy body to deal with the past in Northern Ireland, but without consultation with victims can it succeed?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

AI could never replace my authors. But, without regulation, it will ruin publishing as we know it | Jonny Geller Basic principles need to be enshrined to protect the sacred craft of storytelling from this automated onslaught, says literary agent Jonny Geller

AI could never replace my authors. But, without regulation, it will ruin publishing as we know it | Jonny Geller

Thanks Boyd!

Long-established laws of war are being ‘blatantly disregarded’, top UN official says Several governments ignore human rights, which are the ‘medicine to heal a fractured world’

Long-established laws of war are being ‘blatantly disregarded’, top UN official says

🤬 The FPV drone barely manages to hit the Russian Molniya drone, but in the end it captures a war crime by Putin's soldiers, a strike on a civilian vehicle and the deliberate killing of civilians in the Kramatorsk area of ​​the Donetsk region.

Ros Atkins on... Israel's war in Gaza and proportionality BBC Verify asked experts, in the UK and elsewhere, if Israel’s actions in Gaza have been proportionate.

Ros Atkins on... Israel's war in #Gaza and proportionality
www.bbc.com/news/article...

In case they visit the US, 18 U.S. Code § 2441.

Not now, but in the future DOJ HRSP may have the appetite.

International Crisis Group adviser on legality of U.S. strike on Venezuelan boat President Trump ordered a strike on what he says was a Venezuelan vessel carrying drugs, killing 11 people. NPR asks Brian Finucane of the International Crisis Group if it violated laws.

Last week I told @npr.org that there’s a word for premeditated killing outside of armed conflict: murder.

None of the Trump administration’s weak justifications for the lethal strike in the Caribbean have dissuaded me from applying that label here.

www.npr.org/2025/09/05/n...

Labels, Not Law, to Justify Lethal Force: Venezuela Boat Strike A new label does not transform a problem or grant the U.S. president or the U.S. military expanded legal authority to kill civilians.

Mark Nevitt, former naval line officer and JAG writes:

"Applying a new label to an old problem does not transform the problem itself – nor does it grant the U.S. president or the U.S. military expanded legal authority to kill civilians."

www.justsecurity.org/119985/label...

September Could Finally Bring Answers for Northern Ireland Families Northern Ireland’s courts may deliver long-awaited answers for survivors and bereaved families of the conflict from 1969 to 1998.

Northern Ireland’s courts may deliver long-awaited answers — and perhaps accountability — for survivors and bereaved families of the conflict from 1969 to 1998, write @dooleydooley.bsky.social and @suchitauppal.bsky.social:

www.justsecurity.org/120044/septe...

Those who cover up famine in Gaza use a familiar playbook The Israeli government is using the same method as many architects of calamity from the past 100 years

“Gaza’s famine is man-made. And those who are making it happen are doing their best to conceal their crime. The Israeli government is reading from the same playbook as many architects of calamity from the past 100 years.” - must read, by Alex de Waal 👇 observer.co.uk/news/opinion...

"Only one in four detainees from Gaza are identified as fighters by Israel’s military intelligence"

"Those jailed for long periods without charge or trial include medical workers, teachers, civil servants, media workers, writers, sick and disabled people and children."

Seeking Reparations in an Age of Impunity — REPAIR Reparations in international law are intended to remedy wrongful acts, and state practice in many countries sees them being used to remedy a wide range of historical and contemporary harm. Despite mos...

See the event page here: www.reparationsresearch.eu/lectures/see...

BBC Verify Live: Was fatal US strike on Venezuelan 'drug boat' legal? Latest updates from the BBC's specialists in fact-checking, verifying video and tackling disinformation.

Experts tell BBC Verify US ‘drug boat’ strike may have broken international law www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c2...

Seeking Reparations in an Age of Impunity - Register to attend our next hybrid lecture by Prof. @lukemoffett.bsky.social about #reparations in an age where progress on redressing the past is witnessing a rollback.

📅 16 September, 1pm CET
📍 UvA Anthropology C5.00 & online
➡️ More info & registration:

The deadly toll on journalists in the Gaza war With foreign media barred, Palestinians have reported alone, facing the ‘most deliberate effort to kill and silence’ them ever

The deadly toll on journalists in the #Gaza war with at least 189 journalists killed

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...