Law Commons^™

‘I Will Control Your Mind’: The International Regulation Of Brain-Hacking, Thibault Moulin

San Diego International Law Journal

In the near future, the use of neurotechnologies—like brain-computer interfaces and brain stimulation—could become widespread. It will not only be used to help persons with disabilities or illness, but also by members of the armed forces and in everyday life (e.g., for entertainment and gaming). However, recent studies suggested that it is possible to hack into neural devices to obtain information, inflict pain, induce mood change, or influence movements. This Article anticipates three scenarios which may be challenging in the future—i.e., brain hacking for the purpose of reading thoughts, remotely controlling someone, and inflicting pain or death—and assesses their compliance …

Torturous Journeys: Cruelty, International Law, And Pushbacks And Pullbacks Over The Mediterranean Sea, Jamal Barnes

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Boat pushbacks and pullbacks by Italy and the European Union (EU) have returned migrants and refugees to Libya where they have been subjected to brutal human rights violations, such as torture and ill-treatment. This article argues that these pushbacks and pullbacks not only undermine key human rights principles, but they are also an act of cruelty. As Italy and the EU have used the law to evade their international human rights and refugee obligations, the law has had distributive effects that have shaped migration pathways and exacerbated the vulnerability of migrants and refugees to torture. Not only have legal manoeuvres …

Taking Responsibility Under International Law: Human Trafficking And Colombia’S Venezuelan Migration Crisis, Luz Estella Nagle, Juan Manuel Zarama

University of Miami Inter-American Law Review

For more than six million Venezuelans, crossing international borders has become imperative to ensuring security and a livelihood that their country has failed to assure. These migrants and refugees, particularly young women and children, are vulnerable to many depredations, criminal acts, and the risk of becoming trafficking victims for forced labor and sexual slavery. This article focuses on State responsibility for migrant populations and analyzes conditions in Venezuela that caused a massive migration, the conditions in Colombia as a host State, the uncertain status of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia, and human trafficking and its impact on the migrant population.

Non-State Actors "Under Color Of Law": Closing A Gap In Protection Under The Convention Against Torture, Anna R. Welch, Sangyeob Kim

Faculty Publications

The world is experiencing a global restructuring that poses a serious threat to international efforts to prevent and protect against torture. The rise of powerful transnational non-state actors such as gangs, drug cartels, militias, and terrorist organizations is challenging states’ authority to control and govern torture committed within their territory.

In the United States, those seeking protection against deportation under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”) must establish a likelihood of torture at the instigation of or by consent or acquiescence of a public official acting in an official capacity or other person acting in an official capacity. However, what is …

Doe V. Nestle, S.A.: Chocolate And The Prohibition On Child Slavery, Megan M. Coppa

Pace International Law Review

West Africa is presently home to approximately 1.5 million acres of cocoa farmland, which subsequently produces 70% of the world’s current chocolate supply. Côte d’Ivoire, also known as the Ivory Coast, is one of the largest cocoa producing countries within West Africa.

The increase of farmland and the need to control the deteriorating conditions have always created a demand for farm workers. Regrettably, more than 1.5 million cocoa farm workers in West Africa are currently children. These child workers are exposed to hazardous dust, flames, smoke, and chemicals, are required to utilize dangerous tools that they are not properly trained …

Sovereign Authority And Rule Of Law: The Effect Of U.S. Use Of Torture On Political Legitimacy, Sydney Bradley

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Governmental sovereignty is created and maintained by mutual respect for the rule of law by the government and citizens. To maintain legitimacy, a government must act within the bounds of the contract that created it. Otherwise, the relationship founded by said contract would be nullified, as would the duties and obligations that flow from that relationship. Torture exemplifies an ultra vires act used by the United States to show the consequences of over-extended authority on political legitimacy and the rule of law. Founded on the philosophies of Hugo Grotius, Thomas Hobbes, and Christine Korsgaard, this research investigates the nature of …

Kekuasaan Pengawasan Ombudsman Republik Indonesia Dalam Memastikan Hak Setiap Orang Bebas Dari Penyiksaan Dan Perbuatan Merendahkan Derajat Manusia, Gatot Goei

"Dharmasisya” Jurnal Program Magister Hukum FHUI

The establishment of Ombudsman had been officially established on 2000, based on presidential decree number 44/2000 of Ombudsman Commission of Republic Indonesia. It was later strengthened by Law Number 37/2008 of Ombudsman Republic Indonesia. As one of State Auxiliary Body, Ombudsman exercises one of Legislative's powers, which is supervision function. Its feature adhered is to ensure the state administrators to practice their duty in giving public services. Ombudsman also partakes in guaranteeing the fulfillment of community rights by service provider, basedon enforced law, without discrimination and in line with the public services law. Ombudsman RI participates in protecting people from …

Amicus Curiae Observations By Public International Law & Policy Group, Situation In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Milena Sterio, Michael P. Scharf, Paul R. Williams

Law Faculty Briefs and Court Documents

The Public International Law & Policy Group (“PILPG”) offers the following amicus curiae observations pursuant to the Decision No. ICC-01/04-02/06-2569. PILPG is willing to appear before the Court if it would assist. Prof. Paul R. Williams, Dean Michael P. Scharf, Prof. Milena Sterio, Dr. Brianne McGonigle Leyh, Dr. Julie Fraser, Jonathan Worboys, Eian Katz, Raghavi Viswanath, Nicole Carle, Alexandra Koch, Isabela Karibjanian, and Olivia Wang contributed to these observations.

Removals To Somalia In Light Of The Convention Against Torture: Recent Evidence From Somali Bantu Deportees, Daniel J. Van Lehman, Estelle M. Mckee

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of a survey of Somali Bantu deported from the United States from 2016 to 2018, to determine whether they were subjected to torture upon arrival in Somalia. Of the 20 deportees interviewed, 55 percent suffered torture at least once, with the highest percentage—66.7 percent—experienced by individuals deported in 2018. The abuse, which included kidnapping, stabbings, and beatings with truncheons and whips, meets the definition of torture under Article 3 of the Convention Against Torture. Individuals were intentionally subjected to severe pain and suffering for an unlawful purpose: ransom. Further, most of the abuse was inflicted …

Right To A Healthy Prison Environment: Health Care In Custody Under The Prism Of Torture, Juan E. Méndez

Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law

Deprivation of adequate health care — including preventive and remedial therapies — violates State obligations under domestic and international law. Because it deprived inmates of a fundamental right it is appropriate to analyze the scope of that obligation under norms of international law that are binding as treaty law or as customary international law. Recent developments in international standards illuminate the scope of the State’s obligations to provide health care to persons deprived of liberty. Salient among those recent developments in the normative framework is the most recent version of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, …

Sequencing Peace And Justice In Syria, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Since 2011, the conflict in Syria has caused the death of hundreds of thousands of individuals and the displacement of millions. Efforts to refer the Syrian situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) have consistently failed despite well-documented reports about the commission of serious crimes in Syria, including the use of chemical weapons against civilians, torture, the use of child soldiers, and crimes of sexual violence.

This Article explores whether the dual goals of peace and justice can be reconciled in the Syrian context and how these goals may be properly sequenced in order to potentially achieve long-lasting peace in …

The Published Works Of Sir Nigel Rodley, James W. Hart

Law Librarian Articles and Other Publications

This work is a comprehensive bibliography of the writings of Sir Nigel Rodley that was compiled for the Urban Morgan Human Rights Conference Honoring Sir Nigel Rodley that was held at the University of Cincinnati College of Law on October 28 and 29, 2017. It lists the books that he was the sole author of, books that he edited either solely or with others, chapters in books edited by others, journal articles, conference papers, book reviews, reports issued as part of his UN work, two manuscripts, introductions, forwards, comments, tributes, and obituaries. It does not list decisions of the UN …

Reflections On Forty Years Of Private Practice And Sustained Pro Bono Advocacy, Stephen H. Oleskey

Maine Law Review

I am going to address two topics. The first is the one Judge Coffin asked me to address in October 2009, when I was invited to give the 2010 Coffin Lecture: how to combine the private practice of law with an active pro bono practice. The second topic is the one Dean Peter Pitegoff and I agreed to add: a brief discussion of legal developments in national security law since 9/11. My pro bono involvement in Guantanamo Habeas litigation began in 2004 and led directly to my interest in national security law and to my recognition of how difficult it …

Judge Posner's Road Map For Convention Against Torture Claims When Central American Governments Cannot Protect Citizens Against Gang Violence, Steven H. Schulman

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming.

Klatsky Endowed Lecture, Presented By The U.N. High Commissioner For Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

A speech that discusses the quest for global justice through monitoring, factfinding and reporting injustices such as torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, sexual violence, slavery, murder, and discrimination.

The Torturers: Evaluating The Senate Select Intelligence Committee’S Torture Report And Assessing The Legal Liability Of “Company Y” Under The Alien Tort Statute, David J. Satnarine

Pace International Law Review

This analysis seeks to argue that ‘Company Y’ is responsible for its role in the use of inhumane and tortious interrogation techniques during the CIA’s Interrogation and Detention Program under the Alien Tort Statute. Furthermore, this analysis will seek to reconcile case law in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., et. al., and subsequent court decisions opining on the extraterritorial reach of the Alien Tort Statute. Significantly, this analysis will also answer questions left open in the Kiobel decision by arguing that corporate entities, such as Company Y, may be held liable …

Democracy And Torture, Patrick A. Maurer

Patrick A Maurer

September 11th spawned an era of political changes to fundamental rights. The focus of this discussion is to highlight Guantanamo Bay torture incidents. This analysis will explore the usages of torture from a legal standpoint in the United States.

How International Law Can Eradicate Torture: A Response To Cynics, Juan E. Mendez

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

No abstract provided.

The Tortureres: Evaluating The Senate Select Intelligence Committee’S Torture Report And Assessing The Legal Liability Of “Company Y” In The Cia’S Post 9-11 Interrogation And Detention Program Under The Alien Tort Statute, David Satnarine

David Satnarine

The U.S. national security apparatus after September 11, 2001 engendered an emphasis of new forms of intelligence gathering. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, the United States and its agents sought to collect as much information as possible to prevent another attack on the homeland, and to bring to justice those responsible for the heinous acts of September 11, 2001. Through the use of private actors, corporate shells, and contractors, the United States employed a host of professional interrogators in its war on terror. Some of these private actors, through their corporate shells later become known as the architects of the …

Democracy And Torture, Patrick A. Maurer

Patrick A Maurer

September 11th spawned an era of political changes to fundamental rights. The focus of this discussion is to highlight Guantanamo Bay torture incidents. This analysis will explore the usages of torture from a legal standpoint in the United States.

The International Law Of Torture: From Universal Proscription To Effective Application And Enforcement, Winston P. Nagan, Lucie Atkins

Winston P Nagan

This Article presents a comprehensive review of world torture and the efforts to eradicate it through both official and unofficial strategies of intervention, with special emphasis on the legal strategies. This Article recognizes the complexity of these strategies as they form a vast number of initiatives emerging from various elements of the international community. Part II of the Article touches on matters of definition and legal history. This enables the examination of the inherent characteristics of torture as they impact issues of governance, social control, and principles of basic respect and human dignity. Part III examines the efforts to universally …

The Admissibility Of Confessions Compelled By Foreign Coercion: A Compelling Question Of Values In An Era Of Increasing International Criminal Cooperation, Geoffrey S. Corn, Kevin Cieply

Pepperdine Law Review

This Article proceeds on a simple and clear premise: a confession extracted by torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment should never be admitted into evidence in a U.S. criminal trial. Whether accomplished through extending the Due Process or Self-Incrimination based exclusionary rules to foreign official coercion, or by legislative action, such exclusion is necessary to align evidentiary practice regarding confessions procured by foreign agents with our nation's fundamental values as reflected in the Fifth Amendment and our ratification of the CAT. This outcome is not incompatible with Connelly. Rather, this Article explores the limits of the Court's language in …

A Comment On Filartiga V. Pena-Irala, Dean Rusk

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Closing Plenary: Preventing Torture In The Fight Against Terrorism, Claudio Grossman

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

No abstract provided.

Contemporary Practice Of The Untied States Relating To International Law, Kristina Daugirdas, Julian Davis Mortenson

Articles

In this section: • Iran Nuclear Framework Agreement Reached; Congress Seeks to Influence Negotiation • United States Lifts Some Cuba Restrictions and Explores the Possibility of Normalizing Relations • United States Responds to Alleged North Korean Cyber Attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment • Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Releases Executive Summary of Its Study of CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program • President Obama Seeks Statutory Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against ISIL

Contemporary Practice Of The United States Relating To International Law, Kristina Daugirdas, Julian Davis Mortenson

Articles

In this section: United States Objects to Russia’s Continued Violations of Ukraine’s Territorial Sovereignty, Including by Convoys Purporting to Provide Humanitarian Aid • United States and Afghanistan Sign Bilateral Security Agreement • United States Announces “Changes and Confirmations” in Its Interpretation of the UNConvention Against Torture • United States and China Make Joint Announcement to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Bolstering Multilateral Climate Change Negotiations • United States Deepens Its Engagement with ISIL Conflict • NATO Affirms that Cyber Attacks May Trigger Collective Defense Obligations

The Torture Lawyers, Jens David Ohlin

Jens David Ohlin

One of the longest shadows cast by the Bush Administration’s War on Terror involves the fate of the torture lawyers who authored or signed memoranda regarding torture or enhanced interrogation techniques against detainees. Should they face professional sanction or even prosecution for their involvement? The following Article suggests that their fate implicates some of the deepest questions of criminal law theory and that resolution of the debate requires a fundamental reorientation of the most important areas of justifications and excuses. First, the debate about torture has been overly focused on justifications for torture. This can be explained in part by …

The Bounds Of Necessity, Jens David Ohlin

Jens David Ohlin

The current controversy surrounding the legality of torture can only be understood through an analysis of the distinction between justified necessity and excused necessity. Although there may be strong prudential reasons for international criminal courts to declare torture unlawful under any circumstance, this would not necessarily prevent a court from recognizing that an excuse may apply. However, the hallmark of the necessity excuse should not be understood, as it is in German law, as an exception that only applies when a defendant breaks the law to save someone close to him. Rather, the basic principle of the excuse ought to …

The Routine Torture Practices Of The Saudi Arabian Government As "Commercial Activity" Within The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act Of 1976 In The Wake Of Saudi Arabia V. Nelson, 113 S. Ct. 1471 (1993)., Keith D. Bodoh

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Litigating Customary International Human Rights Norms, Beth Stephens

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.