SHARES blog
16 October 2013
On 11 October 2013, the UN Security Council authorised the establishment of a Joint Mission of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations (UN) to oversee the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons. The Council endorsed the proposal formulated by Ban Ki-moon in a letter to the Council of 7 October (S/2013/591), pursuant to a request by the Security Council in Resolution 2118 (2013).
While all attention now focusses on the completion of the Joint Mission’s goal (the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons), it is not too early to plan for contingencies. The destruction of the chemical weapons will entail significant risks for the environment and human health. (more…)
15 October 2013
This is our News Items Overview of 16 September-15 October 2013, a summary of recent news relating to shared responsibility. (more…)
1 October 2013
Initial comments on the judgment of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) Appeals Chamber in the Charles Taylor case have focused on the rejection of the ‘specific direction’ standard in relation to complicity, and on the somewhat peculiar method for determining customary law (see Kevin Heller at Opinio Juris and Marko Milanovic at EJIL Talk). But there is more in the judgment that deserves our attention. Notably, the judgment exposes the disconnection of individual responsibility from state responsibility. (more…)
26 September 2013
Discrimination against homosexuals and lack of recognition of LGBT rights in Africa has been a pressing concern for a number of human rights organizations in recent years. The situation in Uganda has received particular attention, following the passage of anti-gay legislation in 2009 and the practice of some local newspapers to “out” certain homosexuals, accompanied by calls for their execution. While this is an obvious human rights issue, some recent initiatives are bringing the question in the realm of international criminal law, which bring to the fore interesting questions in relation to shared responsibility. (more…)
16 September 2013
This is our News Items Overview of 16 August-15 September 2013, a summary of recent news relating to shared responsibility. (more…)