US Supreme Court split on the partisan politics of district drawing
At the end of June, the U.S. Supreme Court waded into the fight over political partisanship in American politics. In a 5-4 decision, the Court held in Rucho v. Common Cause that…
“The Interests of Justice” – The ICC and the Case of Afghanistan
In April 2019, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court rejected the request to authorise an investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Afghanistan by the Taliban,…
Mobilising International Human Rights Law to Promote Tax Justice
Hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue are lost to governments – and particularly those of developing countries – annually as a result of deficiencies in the global taxation system,…
Workers of the Fireworks Factory of Santo Antônio de Jesus and their family members vs. Brazil and why we need to talk about socioeconomic gender inequality
In 1998, there was an explosion at an irregular, high-risk fireworks factory in the city of Santo Antônio de Jesus, Brazil, which led to 64 deaths and left six people…
A Tale of Two Prime Ministers? Internet Shutdowns Gagging Free speech in Ethiopia
In the month of June 2019, Ethiopia encountered two major internet shutdown measures following a potential fear of leakage of school exams over the internet, and high profile assassinations. This blog post…
Marriage of the Girl Child in Iran
In February 2019, the news of an 11-year-old girl being married to a man who was almost 50 years old, caused severe criticism of the Iranian Civil Code, which allows for the…
Russian gig economy violates worker rights with society’s tacit acceptance
The term “gig economy” was coined during the global financial crisis in 2009, to describe a freelance economy where employers do not offer traditional work benefits. Like other gig economy…
The American drone programme and the responsibility of its partners
Since 2001, the Bush administration has taken the American drone program – to use automated weapons to kill targeted individuals outside of its own territory – to the next level,…
The declaration of rape as an emergency in Sierra Leone needs to address legal ambiguities in order to combat the scourge of rape and gender-based violence
In February 2019, President Bio of Sierra Leone declared a state of emergency to combat rape and sexual violence. However, if the declaration is to have full effect, ambiguities and…
The ILO adopts Convention concerning violence and harassment at work
Sexual harassment, an expression of violence against women (VAW), received remarkable media attention with the #MeToo Movement. It was a reminder of the law’s poor track record in curbing workplace…
