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Dr Benjamin Thorne

@benjaminthorne.bsky.social

Lecturer in Criminal Law @unirdg-law.bsky.social Via PhD @SussexUni ; Interests: socio-legal studies, transitional justice, critical theory. Book http://tinyurl.com/v77a942b

1,006 Followers  |  505 Following  |  507 Posts  |  Joined: 30.10.2023
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Posts by Dr Benjamin Thorne (@benjaminthorne.bsky.social)

The online banner shows a Call for Papers: "New Approaches to the Study of the ICTY Archives". Conference dates: October 15-16, 2026 at the University of Graz. Application deadline: March 31, 2026.

The online banner shows a Call for Papers: "New Approaches to the Study of the ICTY Archives". Conference dates: October 15-16, 2026 at the University of Graz. Application deadline: March 31, 2026.

๐Ÿ“ฃ #CfP: "New Approaches to the Study of the ICTY Archives"

Workshop @uni-graz.at, Oct 15โ€“16, 2026. We welcome proposals on tribunal truths, digital infrastructure & memory politics. Exploring digital coloniality & computational methods.
๐Ÿ“… Deadline: March 31, 2026
โžก๏ธ leibniz-ios.de/en/knowledge...

11.02.2026 09:41 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 7    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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Targeted charges against Duterte at the ICC Having held a week of hearings at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, judges will now decide if former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, will go to trial for crimes against...

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ #Philippines - Having held a week of hearings at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, judges will now decide if former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, will go to trial for crimes against humanity.

www.justiceinfo.net/en/155870-ta...

#RodrigoDuterte #ICC

02.03.2026 10:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Even by Marko's standards, this is 'Prompt'.

28.02.2026 09:11 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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The American-Israeli Strikes on Iran are (Again) Manifestly Illegal After weeks of threats, the United States, joined by Israel, has launched military strikes against Iran. It remains to be seen whether these strikes will be fairly limited, or are the opening of an ex...

Unsurprisingly, Marko has already written somethingโ€ฆ /3 www.ejiltalk.org/the-american...

28.02.2026 08:49 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 29    ๐Ÿ” 9    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Rio Police Chief & Congressman Convicted in Assassination of Socialist Rio Councilwoman Marielle Franco The court found that the former Chief of Rio de Janeiro Civil Police Rivaldo Barbosa, Brazilian Congressman Chiquinho Brazรฃo, and his brother, Rio State Auditor General Domingos Brazรฃo, were responsib...

"Today, the Brazilian Supreme Court announced that they had convicted the masterminds behind the assassination of socialist Rio de Janeiro City Councilwoman Marielle Franco guilty on all counts."

massive news in Brazil today, writeup by @mikeelk.bsky.social

paydayreport.com/rio-police-c...

25.02.2026 17:51 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2045    ๐Ÿ” 728    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 21    ๐Ÿ“Œ 59

Very important point

23.02.2026 17:57 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Hi Nikki,

Thank you very much for confirming which is really appreciated.

20.02.2026 15:04 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Hi Nikki,

Hope you are well.

This talk sounds really interesting, and I was possibly going to recommend it to some of my final year ICL/J students. Is the time of the event South African Standard Time (UCT+2)?

20.02.2026 08:41 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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To start the academic year @uctlaw.bsky.social A/Prof Holly Porter (University of Cambridge) will be speaking on "Rebel Sex: male combatants and desire in coercive circumstancesโ€.

Register below to join us online

forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

@cclas2025.bsky.social @calsza.bsky.social

20.02.2026 07:53 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Sudan: โ€˜Hallmarks of genocideโ€™ found in El Fasher, UN investigators detail mass killings and ethnic targeting The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out ethnically targeted killings, widespread sexual violence and enforced disappearances during their late-October takeover of El Fasher in Sudanโ€™s Darfur region...

The UN Independent Int'l Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan: the Rapid Support Forces carried out ethnically targeted killings, widespread sexual violence and enforced disappearances in #ElFasher, Sudan, bearing "hallmarks of genocide" against the Zaghawa and Fur communities.
news.un.org/en/story/202...

19.02.2026 12:48 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Human Rights Here | Promises, Processes, and Pitfalls of International Criminal Justice Today Human Rights Here - - Credit: Adina-Loredana Nistor. L to R: Kate Gibson, Olivera Simiฤ‡, Benjamin Thorne, Pubudu Sach

Promises, Processes, and Pitfalls of International Criminal Justice Today - www.humanrightshere.com/post/promise...

17.02.2026 12:44 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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UN approves 40-member scientific panel on the impact of artificial intelligence over US objections The U.N. General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to approve a 40-member global scientific panel on the impacts and risks of artificial intelligence, with the United States strongly objecting.

"UN approves 40-member scientific panel on the impact of artificial intelligence over US objections" apnews.com/article/un-u...

13.02.2026 13:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 30    ๐Ÿ” 12    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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In Trumpโ€™s war on global justice, court staff and U.N. face terroristโ€‘grade sanctions Trumpโ€™s sanctions on U.N. expert Francesca Albanese and the International Criminal Court froze assets and disrupted war crimes investigations. The clash is part of the broader campaign by his administ...

Francesca Albanese and various judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court "now sit on the U.S. Treasury Departmentโ€™s Specially Designated Nationals list, alongside suspected al Qaeda terrorists, Mexican drug traffickers and North Korean arms dealers".

www.reuters.com/investigatio...

07.02.2026 09:13 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 23    ๐Ÿ” 22    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 4
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France dumps Zoom and Teams as Europe seeks digital autonomy from the US European governments are moving away from U.S. tech giants, opting for domestic or open-source alternatives.

Around Europe, governments and institutions are seeking to reduce their use of digital services from U.S. Big Tech companies and turning to domestic or free alternatives.

04.02.2026 11:38 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 12    ๐Ÿ” 4    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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โš–๏ธHow should international law handle accountability for harmful cyber & AI operations?
The ESIL-supported event "๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜„ ๐—ง๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ป๐—ผ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—œ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐˜†" will convene scholars and practitioners in Perugia to tackle the question in October 2026.

Discover more at lnkd.in/dNEAKVyT

03.02.2026 13:44 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Fela Kuti becomes first African to get Grammys Lifetime Achievement Award Award for late Afrobeat pioneer and political radical is the 'anti-establishment being recognised by the establishment'.

Award for late Afrobeat pioneer and political radical is the 'anti-establishment being recognised by the establishment'.

01.02.2026 04:30 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 248    ๐Ÿ” 65    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 10
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Beyond Residual Functions: The IRMCT, the โ€˜Stateless Eightโ€™, and the Human Rights Obligations of Security Council Subsidiaries On 10 December 2025, the Security Council once again debated the future of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). As in previous sessions, delegations diverged sharply in...

The morning residual mechanism pre-yoga read:
www.ejiltalk.org/beyond-resid...

28.01.2026 07:29 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Universal Jurisdiction as Justice: the Lumbala trial in question The trial of Lumbala before a Paris court ended last year with a heavy conviction. It raises issues relating to universal jurisdiction trials in an even more acute manner, given that the defendant ref...

From @justiceinfo.bsky.social: โ€œThe trial of Congolese Roger Lumbala before a Paris court ended last year with a heavy conviction. It raises issues relating to procedure and principles of law observed in universal jurisdiction trialsโ€ www.justiceinfo.net/en/154432-un...

24.01.2026 13:39 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Justice Update โ€“ Survivors @ The ICC We sat down with torture survivors from Kenya, Venezuela and Ukraine to ask them what their experience engaging with the International Criminal Court and seeking justice is. Check out all the backgโ€ฆ

OUT NOW ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ
How do survivors see the International Criminal Court?
At the ASP last year, we sat down with three survivors of torture: Oleksandr Maksymenko from Ukraine, Elizabeth Atieno from Kenya, and Venezuelan Luis Carlos Dรญaz

www.asymmetricalhaircuts.com/episodes/jus...

22.01.2026 12:09 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 5    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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This quote by Ha'aretz journalist Nir Hasson is my opinion one of the most profound things written about the way many Israelis experienced Gaza since October 2023

15.01.2026 12:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 14    ๐Ÿ” 7    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
Copty Scholarships โ€“ Call for Applications | Research | Queen's University Belfast The Mitchell Institute is pleased to invite applications for the Copty Scholarship Programme

A great opportunity for students from Palestine to undertake fully-funded masters programs at QUB: www.qub.ac.uk/Research/GRI...

14.01.2026 10:42 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 4    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Call for papers AfterlifeConference.pdf | Powered by Box

What are the afterlives of atrocity tribunals?

What do contested legacies mean for afterlives of defendants, judgements, witnesses, and archives?

See this fascinating and exciting #CallforPapers from Mark Drumbl, Maria Elander, and @rachelkillean.bsky.social !

wlu.app.box.com/s/ubi9i56841...

13.01.2026 13:57 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 4    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Episode 149 โ€“ Might versus Right in Venezuela ? with Brian Finucane and Ignacio Jovtis Maduro kidnapped by the US โ€“ what are the implications for accountability for human rights violations in Venezuela and for peace and security in Latin America. With Brian Finucane and Ignacioโ€ฆ

There's much commentary on Venezuela Maduro and international law. We focus on potential accountability routes, after examining illegality of US actions + immunity issues. www.asymmetricalhaircuts.com/episodes/epi... Thanks @bcfinucane.bsky.social and Ignacio for making time.

07.01.2026 08:55 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 4    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

You can (and should) be able oppose dictatorship and drug trafficking while also opposing:

- violations of intl law
- human rights violations
- kidnapping
- the theft of natural resources
- illegal war
- violent regime change

What ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ is doing in #Venezuela is all of the above.

03.01.2026 12:17 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 37    ๐Ÿ” 15    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

This might be a good moment for Europeans to quickly start thinking about how much we care about international law banning offensive warfare when
it doesn't happen in our immediate neighbourhood, and the affected country is not a democracy.

15.11.2025 14:35 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 48    ๐Ÿ” 19    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2

This! ๐Ÿ‘‡

30.12.2025 12:12 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Thank you very much for your kind words on my piece.

19.12.2025 12:48 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Artificial Sanctions: Potential Implications of US Sanctions on the ICCโ€™s use of AI and Digital Evidence [Benjamin Thorne is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Criminal Law at the University of Reading] Almost 3 weeks into Donald Trumpโ€™s second term as US President and one could have been forgiven foโ€ฆ

While I was never a fan of Project Harmony for a variety of reasons, namely its encroachment with Microsoft, as well as broader concerns about AI (not all digital evidence obviously), this is a good recap by @benjaminthorne.bsky.social of the impact of sanctions on evidence gathering / preservation

19.12.2025 09:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0