James Patrick Sexton

📢 Call for #Interns
We are seeking two motivated interns for the events team at the T.M.C. Asser Institute to support trainings and public events. If you are interested, we encourage you to apply.

📩 Apply by 23 Nov 2025, 23:59 CET
➡️ Details & application: lnkd.in/e5d4g_fU

#Internship #Events

US axes website for reporting human rights abuses by US-armed foreign forces The Human Rights Reporting Gateway acted as a formal "tip line" to the US government.

The Leahy law is being killed off. "The US State Department has removed an online portal for reporting alleged human rights violations by foreign military units supplied with American weapons." www.bbc.com/news/article...

Time for another #ICJ ruling! Advisory Opinion on Obligations of Israel in relation to the Presence and Activities of the United Nations, Other Int Organizations & Third States in & in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory dropping now.

Improving Fact-Finding for IHL and Harnessing Modern Technology In the great majority of cases, state or non-state armed forces engaging in violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) do not attempt to justify their acts by offering different interpretation...

Improving Fact-Finding for IHL and Harnessing Modern Technology | by Manuel Galvis and Marko Milanovic

Exclusive: US could hit entire International Criminal Court with sanctions soon The United States is considering imposing sanctions as soon as this week against the entire International Criminal Court, putting the court's day-to-day operations in jeopardy in retaliation for investigations of suspected Israeli war crimes.

Yesterday my colleagues and I wrote up the story that was floating around for a few days, lets see what's next
www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Many thanks to friends and colleagues for the helpful conversations about the topic, as well as to the excellent editorial team at Just Security.

@tmcasser.bsky.social | #sanctions #genocideconvention #obligationtoprevent

In light of Israel's renewed attack on Gaza City, as well as the hugely important recent findings of the Commission of Inquiry, it is particularly urgent for states to consider what steps international law requires them to take.

I conclude that states are entitled to take numerous different measures against Israel in line with international law. Secondly, I argue that the obligation to prevent genocide will, in many contexts, require the creation of sanctions, particularly where other measures (e.g., diplomacy) have failed.

Taking stock of recent calls to take sanctions against Israel for its violations of international law in Palestine, I set out a framework for answering two key questions: what can states do? And, what must they do?

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

Access it below ⤵️

📢 The recording of last week’s webinar, “Fifteen years of review: The Office of the Ombudsperson to the UN Security Council ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee”, is now available on the @tmcasser.bsky.social YouTube channel.

📹 Access the recording here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWo5...

My government is now sanctioning three leading Palestinian human rights groups:

(1) Al Haq Law in the Service of Mankind;

(2) Al Mezan Center for Human Rights;

(3) Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

Utterly disgraceful.

✏️ There's still time to register for our upcoming Asser Institute webinar - "15 Years of Review: The Office of the Ombudsperson to the UNSC ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee"

Details and sign-up below ⬇️

🔊 For those interested in #sanctions, #counterterrorism, and #humanrightslaw, sign up for our free webinar about the Office of the Ombudsperson to the UN Security Council ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee on 9 September 📅

Details below ⬇️

IDF court sentences soldier who abused prisoners in Sde Teiman | The Jerusalem Post Given that the defendant-soldier had spent around 80 days in prison after he was first arrested, he will now return to prison for around four and a half months.

The first "major jail term" for an Israeli soldier relating to Gaza.

A 7-month sentence and demotion.

For grave beatings that "happened so many times and to so many different detainees".

The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel called it "woefully inadequate"

www.jpost.com/breaking-new...

In December 2024, five months after an initial warning from Dutch intelligence, Lieutenant Cayley, a former military prosecutor, received a direct threat:

"I was directly threatened, and I was told that I was an enemy of the state of Israel and I needed to watch my back."

UN expert criticizes US rollback of Myanmar sanctions as ‘unconscionable’ A UN expert criticized the US government on Wednesday for its rollback of sanctions against entities supplying weapons and other support to the Myanmar military junta, finding the move 'unconscionable...

UN SR on #Myanmar has criticised the Trump regime for withdrawing (successful) sanctions against entities & individuals facilitating the #Tatmadaw's arms trade. Such a blow to accountability for atrocity crimes. #intLaw www.jurist.org/news/2025/08...

Nederlandse sancties Israël vooral symbolisch, 'maar wel unicum in relatie' Om daadwerkelijk effect te hebben, moeten de sancties vanuit de Europese Unie of de Verenigde Naties komen, zegt sanctierechtadvocaat Yvo Amar.

For more detail (in Dutch) see here: nos.nl/nieuwsuur/ar...

Dutch summon Israeli ambassador, impose travel ban on ministers The Dutch government will summon Israel's ambassador to the Netherlands to denounce the "unbearable and indefensable" situation in Gaza and has imposed travel bans on two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers, it said in a letter published late on Monday.

The Netherlands has followed the UK and several other states in creating travel bans against two Israeli ministers for, among others, inciting violence against Palestinians. The Dutch measures have been taken in light of disagreement at EU level regarding sanctions:

www.reuters.com/world/middle...

US sanctions UN expert Albanese over Israel criticism Trump administration says it is targeting Albanese for encouraging ICC war crime prosecution against Israel’s Netanyahu.

Trump administration says it is targeting Albanese for encouraging ICC war crime prosecution against Israel’s Netanyahu.

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 ...

The Illegal Israeli-American Use of Force Against Iran: A Follow-Up | by Marko Milanovic

British officials lobbied the US government not to sanction UK nationals involved in Israel case, including Amal Clooney.

However officials worry that more US sanctions are likely to come.

www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-lobb...

#ICC #USsanctions

Is Israel’s Use of Force Against Iran Justified by Self-Defence? This morning, Israel launched a major military operation against Iran targeting its nuclear programme, including facilities, individual scientists and military leadership. In this post, I will provide...

As always right on time and fully to the point: Marko Milanovic (who never seems to sleep) on the attack by #Israel on #Iran @ejiltalk.bsky.social
And to the cynics out there: Yes, it matters. It is the law.
www.ejiltalk.org/is-israels-u...

Itamar Ben Gvir (left) and Bezalel Smotrich, attend a special session of the Knesset in December 2022.

The UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway have announced sanctions against two Israeli ministers for "repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities", they said in a joint statement.
u.afp.com/SGy5

Notably, the terms of Morrison (UK) and Hofmański (Poland) have both ended, which would leave Guillou (France) and Prost (Canada) as the only two serving judges involved in the relevant decisions that haven't been sanctioned.

This would leave Guillou (France) from the Pre-Trial Chamber in the Palestine Situation, and Hofmański (Poland), Morrison (UK), and Prost (Canada) from the Appeals Chamber in the Afghanistan Situation as the judges from the decisions in question that weren't sanctioned. But perhaps I am mistaken?

My provisional understanding was that two judges (Alapini-Gansou and Hohler) were targeted regarding the 2024 Palestine Situation arrest warrants decision, while Ibáñez Carranza and Bossa were targeted for the 2020 Appeals Chamber judgement in the Afghanistan Situation.

📅 Just over a week left to submit an abstract for Volume 28 of the Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law

Details below ⬇️

Australian officials held talks with Trump administration about ICC sanctions — and fears for Aussies Senior DFAT officials engaged the Trump administration over how its sanctions on the International Criminal Court may impact Australians, documents reveal.

“I’ve spoken to a few of my colleagues at the [ICC], some of them American, who have actually resigned from their positions in the court to be able to go back to the US to avoid criminal prosecution,” says an Australian former special adviser on war crimes. More: www.crikey.com.au/2025/06/04/d...

⏲️ Just over two weeks left to submit your abstract for the Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law's #callforpapers

📖 Theme: "Facts in International Humanitarian Law"

⬇️ Details below