The International Law and Human Rights Program prepares this update on International Justice for informational purposes only. Any opinions expressed in articles contained in this update are not necessarily endorsed by PGA or any individual/s associated with PGA; nor does PGA or any individual/s associated with PGA vouch for the accuracy of the contents of these articles.
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On 25 March 2026, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution recognizing the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity. While the United States and several European states challenged the resolution’s legal implications, African and other regional groups framed it as a principled framework for reparatory justice.
On 19 March 2026, the International Criminal Court found that Tajikistan violated its obligations under the Rome Statute by failing to arrest and surrender Russian President Vladimir Putin during his October 2025 visit, despite an outstanding ICC warrant for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
On 20 March 2026, Human Rights Watch urged Hungarian authorities to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits Budapest, recalling that, despite its announced withdrawal from the ICC, Hungary remains a State Party bound to execute ICC arrest warrants until 2 June 2026.
On 17 March 2026, the United Nations human rights office warned that Israeli attacks on residential areas and civilian facilities in Lebanon may amount to war crimes under international humanitarian law.
On 20 March 2026, FIDH, within the Global Initiative Against Impunity and with the support of PGA, published a proposal urging States to amend the Draft Articles for a future Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity to criminalize direct and public incitement to such crimes as a standalone offence.
On 18 March 2026, UN experts expressed deep concern over the release of Daniel Urresti Elera, a former military officer convicted of murder with aggravating circumstances in the context of crimes against humanity, warning that the decision impedes access to justice and accountability for grave human rights violations.
On 19 March 2026, Germany withdrew its earlier pledge to support Israel at the International Court of Justice in South Africa's Gaza genocide case. This decision is related to a separate ICJ case brought by Nicaragua, which challenges Germany’s political, military, and financial support to Israel, including arms exports and the suspension of United Nations Relief and Works Agency funding.
On 20 March 2026, a French court sentenced jihadist Sabri Essid to life imprisonment in absentia for genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Iraq’s Yazidi minority while serving with the Islamic State group between 2014 and 2016. It is the first French trial to directly address IS crimes against the Yazidis as genocide.
On 21 March 2026, the President of the Assembly of States Parties expressed concern over recent media reports regarding the ongoing confidential disciplinary process involving the ICC Prosecutor, stressing that no decisions have yet been taken and that media speculation is unwarranted.
On 24 March 2026, the International Criminal Court announced that Trial Chamber X will deliver its reparations order for victims in the case of The Prosecutor v. Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud during a public hearing on 28 April 2026.
On 12 March 2026, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded that the Russian authorities’ deportation, forcible transfer, and enforced disappearance of thousands of Ukrainian children amount to crimes against humanity. The Commission documented a state‑led policy, involving senior officials, that facilitated the long‑term placement of children with families and institutions in the Russian Federation and in Russian‑occupied territories, while systematically obstructing efforts to trace children and enable family reunification.
On 11 March 2026, Human Rights Watch urged Libyan authorities to urgently surrender International Criminal Court suspect Osama Elmasry Njeem, a senior commander in the Deterrence Apparatus for Countering Terrorism and Organized Crime, accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, and rape at Mitiga Prison since 2015.
On 2 March 2026, UN human rights experts condemned the proposed “Board of Peace,” warning that it could perpetuate impunity. They are calling instead for a reparative, rights-based approach to reconstructing Gaza. The Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing highlighted that the widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure, referred to as "domicide," amounts to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
On 7 March 2026, UN human rights experts strongly condemned a deadly missile strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, during United States and Israeli military attacks that killed and injured at least 165 children. The experts called for an independent investigation and urged full accountability and redress for victims.
On 12 March 2026, Amnesty International stated that Israeli air strikes on locations linked to the al‑Qard al‑Hassan financial institution in Lebanon must be investigated as war crimes, as the branches are not legitimate military targets under international humanitarian law.
On 10 March 2026, governments at the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women adopted Agreed Conclusions to strengthen access to justice for all women and girls. The Conclusions provide a roadmap for gender‑responsive justice systems, call for repealing discriminatory laws and practices, expand access to legal aid and legal empowerment, strengthen protections for women’s rights in family, property, and work, and establish new commitments on digital justice and AI governance.
On 4 March 2026, Belgian prosecutors confirmed the detention of three suspected leaders of the Ambazonia Defence Forces as part of an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict.
On 8 March 2026, UK authorities charged a Syrian man residing in Britain with seven charges, including murder as a crime against humanity, torture, and conduct ancillary to murder over his alleged role in the violent suppression of protests near Damascus, Syria, in 2011. The case marks the first time the Crown Prosecution Service has brought murder charges as crimes against humanity under the UK’s International Criminal Court Act 2001.
On 12 March 2026, the ICC Office of the Prosecutor concluded preliminary examinations regarding the situations in Venezuela II and Lithuania/Belarus. In Venezuela II, the Office found no reasonable basis for believing that crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction were committed in relation to alleged crimes against humanity arising from U.S. sanctions. In Lithuania/Belarus, the Office found a reasonable basis for believing that crimes against humanity, including deportation and persecution on political grounds, occurred, prompting an investigation into transboundary crimes committed since 1 May 2020.
Israel, Gaza, South Africa, Iceland, Netherlands, United States, Namibia, Hungary, Fiji
According to a press release issued by the International Court of Justice on 13 March 2026, the United States filed a declaration of intervention in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, rejecting allegations of genocide in Gaza. Namibia, Hungary, Fiji, Iceland, and the Netherlands also submitted declarations under Article 63 of the ICJ Statute, each highlighting its interpretation of the Genocide Convention.
