This Update on International Justice is prepared by the International Law and Human Rights Program and provided 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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Russia, Ukraine
A new report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has found that Russia's "widespread and systematic" use of enforced disappearances and torture of Ukrainians amount to crimes against humanity. The report was submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 19, 2025.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to visit Hungary on April 2, 2025, despite an ICC arrest warrant, to meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and other officials before returning to Israel on April 6, 2025.
Prominent activist David Yambio has warned the International Criminal Court that his mobile phone was targeted by mercenary spyware while providing confidential information about victims of torture in Libya. This raises questions about whether a government agency with access to military-grade spyware may have been seeking to interfere with ICC proceedings.
On March 19, 2025, the President of the International Criminal Court, Judge Tomoko Akane, met with the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Committee on Legal Affairs to discuss the ICC's challenges and the impact of US sanctions. She strongly urged the EU to take immediate action to protect the Court and the rule of law, including by amending the EU blocking statute.
On March 20, 2025, Belarusian and international human rights organizations submitted evidence of potential crimes against humanity committed by Belarusian authorities since May 2020 to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
On March 21, 2025, the legal experts of the Core Group completed technical work on three draft documents for the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, which will be submitted for political consideration.
On March 24, 2025, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on four individuals implicated in atrocities during Sri Lanka's civil war. This includes retired General Shavendra Silva and former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda. The measures include travel bans and asset freezes.
On March 18, 2025, the International Center for Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) launched Global 195, an initiative to hold Israel accountable for war crimes in Gaza and to enable the prosecution of war crimes suspects worldwide.
The International Court of Justice has scheduled April 10, 2025, as the date for the hearing between Sudan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Sudan has accused the UAE of supporting the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and making it "complicit in the genocide on the Masalit", a non-Arab ethnic group targeted by brutal violence in the Darfur region.
On March 11, 2025, the Philippine government arrested former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the main airport in Manila after receiving an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity. The ICC is investigating Duterte's brutal anti-drugs crackdown, which killed over 6,000 people according to police data.
On March 7, 2025, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) launched a public consultation on its draft policy on cyber-enabled crimes under the Rome Statute. The Office encourages stakeholders, including States Parties, civil society, and organizations with expertise in this area, to submit comments by May 30, 2025.
On March 9, 2025, the Syrian presidency announced the formation of an independent national commission to investigate violent incidents in Latakia and Tartus by remnants of the Assad regime.
On March 12, 2025, Peru's Congress passed a controversial anti-NGO law that imposes restrictions on civil society organizations' ability to initiate legal action against the state for human rights abuses. The law has been the subject of significant criticism due to its potentially far-reaching implications for the legal defense of victims of human rights violations.
On March 3, 2025, the International Court of Justice appointed Yuji Iwasawa as its new president, succeeding Nawaf Salam, Lebanon's new prime minister. Iwasawa, a professor of international law at the University of Tokyo and chair of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, will head the court until his term expires in 2027.
On March 5, 2025, Sudan filed a case at the International Court of Justice against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for supporting Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the civil war, accusing them of complicity in the genocide of the Masalit community in West Darfur.
On March 12, 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced that it had received 45 written submissions from states and international organizations regarding Israel's obligations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Public hearings will be held at the Peace Palace in The Hague on April 28, 2025.
On March 14, 2025, a Finnish district court sentenced Russian national Voislav Torden to life imprisonment in Finland for war crimes committed against Ukrainian soldiers in 2014. This is the first time a Finnish court has sentenced someone for war crimes in Ukraine.
On March 14, 2025, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who is suspected of murder in the Philippines, appeared before Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court via video link from the ICC Detention Centre. The confirmation of charges hearing is scheduled for September 23, 2025, to determine if sufficient evidence exists to establish substantial grounds for the crimes.
