Mark Lattimer

EU set to endorse deal to turn frozen Russian assets into support for Ukraine The contentious proposal would see Kyiv receive €140bn (£121bn) worth of frozen Russian state assets currently held in Belgium.

"Ukraine reserved the right to decide how to allocate resources, Ms Mudra said, adding that some would have to go towards other sectors like reconstruction and victim compensation."
At least some of the "reparations loan" should be spent on #reparations for victims.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Full advisory opinion here:
www.icj-cij.org/sites/defaul...

Court says Israel blocked aid to Gaza for prolonged period & underlines Israel’s duty re. prohibition of starvation of civilian population as method of war. Wording reflects the GA's question, but will the Court adopt this saying-but-not-quite-saying approach in the separate genocide case? 2/3

Crushing opinion on Israel’s obligations just dropped from Intl Court of Justice. In findings that rely heavily on IHL, ICJ says that Israel’s duty under GCIV Art59 to facilitate relief schemes if the local population is inadequately supplied is *unconditional*, incl. relief provided by UNRWA.
1/3

In Honor of Françoise Hampson - Calibrating the Balance Between Military Necessity and Humanity in LOAC Practice - Lieber Institute West Point The relationship between humanity and military necessity in LOAC is often conceived and argued as a zero-sum game.

My latest on military necessity and humanity in the law of war, for @articlesofwar.bsky.social .
Check out the whole series, in honour of Françoise Hampson.
lieber.westpoint.edu/calibrating-...

Over 5,000 Ukrainians have been released from Russian prisons, many in appalling condition. They need immediate support. Don't let Merz spend the reparations loan all on weapons. 🔽

Thank you @icrc.org for your dedication and courage

The British Army did this when it sent 1 Para into Derry to police a civil rights March in 1972. Twenty-six civilians were shot and it’s still causing headlines over half a century later.
#BloodySunday

A new financial impetus for peace in Ukraine We need the mobilisation of resources on a scale that will secure Kyiv’s military resilience

You may or may not agree with Merz that “these additional funds are solely used to finance Ukraine’s military equipment” but to argue that they should be repaid from funds Russia pays to compensate Ukraine for war damage is disingenuous & weakens the case for #reparations.
www.ft.com/content/3aac...

If you’re at the UN Human Rights Council this Friday, join us to discuss human rights and justice in #Syria
#HRC60
With thanks to Syrians for Truth and Justice, IMPAC, Cairo Institute et al.
@ceasefirecentre.bsky.social

Many thanks to @justsecurity.org for publishing my short article, "Sanctions against Israel: An International Law Perspective".

Access it below ⤵️

Ahead of the Trump-Zelensky meeting, re-upping our recent piece on why #reparations for Ukraine may be winnable in a Ukraine-Russia Deal www.lawfaremedia.org/article/repa...

An Unexpected Path to Hold War Criminals Accountable It’s at the national courts, not the ICC or ICJ, where Palestinians have the best chance to see justice.

A huge thanks to Mark Lattimer (@mglattimer.bsky.social), Chantal Meloni (@chamelons.bsky.social), Brian Finucane (@bcfinucane.bsky.social), and Jake Romm (@jakeromm.bsky.social) for speaking with me for the piece, which you can read here: theintercept.com/2025/08/06/i...

Significant 🔽
If it is Israel's position that there may be starvation in Gaza but that Gazans are not being starved *intentionally*, this mirrors Israel's position with regard to civilian deaths from kinetic attacks. I wrote on the int law implications of this here:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

‘Really cautious’: why the ICJ is delaying a Gaza genocide verdict While civilians starve and global opinion hardens, judgment from international court may not come until 2027 – or later

“…many experts in IHL argue that a fixation on a genocide verdict could be a dangerous distraction, delaying decisive action by the international community as it waits for an ICJ verdict while demonstrable crimes against humanity are allowed to continue.”
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/jul...

France’s highest court upholds some of Bashar Assad’s legal protections, but permits future warrants France’s highest court has upheld some of Bashar Assad’s immunity as a former head of state. But it allowed for potential future war crime warrants against him.

The French ruling upholding head of state immunity is disappointing but hardly a surprise after the ICJ's ruling in the Arrest Warrant case. But that immunity doesn't cover Assad now that he is no longer head of state -- including for crimes committed while in office.
apnews.com/article/fran...

PhD funded studentship application deadline next week: Three year funded PhD studentship on #AI in war and a focus on civilian harm with 6 months working with Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights.

Check out the details here:
www.qub.ac.uk/schools/Scho...

On another unspeakably grim day for Palestinians in Gaza, I talked to @aljazeeraenglish.bsky.social about starvation as a war crime.
mediaview.aljazeera.com/video/qDghRd...

Reparations May Be Within Reach in a Ukraine-Russia Deal Historical precedent and financial leverage indicate a negotiated route to delivering reparations for civilian harm in Ukraine is possible.

As the U.S. administration pushes for a third round of Ukraine-Russia peace talks, Michael Raff and @mglattimer.bsky.social argue that historical precedent and financial leverage offer hope that reparations for conflict-related harm may be attainable in a future deal.

Why do we know that negotiations could deliver #reparations for #Ukraine? Because it's happened before.
My latest with Michael Raff for @lawfaremedia.org
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/repa...

“The UK must approach Ukraine reparations not as a distant post-conflict project, but as a current and urgent imperative.”
@maethompson.bsky.social at packed
@ceasefirecentre.bsky.social event in Parliament last night.
Thx to @alexsobel.co.uk for his leadership on Ukraine #reparations

In another age the Times correspondent Louis Heren said that he always asked himself: "Why is this lying bastard lying to me?"

The Illegal Israeli-American Use of Force Against Iran: A Follow-Up Yesterday, the United States joined Israel in its use of force against Iran by conducting a precision bombing operation targeting Iranian nuclear sites. Like Israel’s use of force before it, this use ...

"...some of the legal arguments being used to justify Israel’s action against Iran are exactly the same as those used by Russia to justify invading Ukraine."
"The core legal argument is the same."
www.ejiltalk.org/the-illegal-...

Ministers urged to publish legal advice on UK involvement in Israel-Iran war Calls follow news that attorney general advised government to limit its involvement to defending allies

Transparency on official legal advice is essential to democratic control of war powers, as recommended in recent report from @ceasefirecentre.bsky.social
Here: bit.ly/4lc4MHI

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

As speculation rises about the UK’s potential involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, one thing is clear: Parliament should have the power to say no.

Read our report on war powers reform: bit.ly/4lc4MHI

Latest figs from HRANA on Iran casualties from Israeli attacks 🔽
(see www.en-hrana.org )

Fatalities in Israel currently = 24.

SAVE THE DATE – 7 July, 17.00, House of Commons

Join us in marking the UK launch of our recent report with an expert panel to discuss how the UK can support reparations for civilian harm in Ukraine.

Chaired by Alex Sobel MP and Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP

RSVP: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-can-th...

Extremely important topic.

Look forward to reading.

Grateful to have been able to build on the work of @tomdannenbaum.bsky.social & @janinadill.bsky.social on dual-purpose attacks, and that of Ian Ayres & @jackbalkin.bsky.social on law of artificial intelligence

Does the law of targeting require objective or subjective tests to determine state responsibility for violations?
Israel/US now shifting to subjective tests of intention - with grave consequences for civilians.
My latest, forthcoming in @yearbookofihl.bsky.social :
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....