International Legal News - 05 January 2026

The following media round up on international and foreign policy issues from around the world for the period of 30 December 2025 to 03 January 2026. Guernica 37 will provide weekly media updates from the International Criminal Court, European Court of Human Rights, United Nations, European Union and other sources. Should you wish to contribute or submit a media summary, opinion piece or blog, please send to Ned Vucijak at nenadv@guernica37.com for consideration.

Guernica 37 International Legal News

3 January 2026

The UN Charter: United States invades Venezuela

The BBC reports that the United States of America has captured and flown out Venenzuela’s President Nicholas Maduro and his wife following a large-scale invasion of the country that included air strikes on Caracas.

The then Venezuelan Vice-President Delcy Rodriquez who has expressed loyalty to Maduro has been sworn in as President and appealed for calm in the region and spoken to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Venezuelan Government has issued an official statement denouncing the “extremely serious military aggression.”

In another report, experts speaking to the Guardian Newspaper, have agreed that the US is likely to have violated the terms of the UN Charter. Article 2(4) precludes states from using military force against other countries and requiring respect for state sovereignty. Signed in October 1945 the Charter was designed to prevent another conflict on a scale comparable to the Second World War.

For more on this story, see here and here.

2 January 2026

European union: Cyprus takes control over the presidency of the Council of EU

On 1 January, Cyprus took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and will hold it until 30 June 2026.

The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides has signaled:

“Our support to Ukraine – for upholding international law, territorial integrity, and sovereignty – will remain firm and steadfast,”

The Cypriot Presidency is concluding the 18-month Poland-Denmark-Cyprus Trio Presidency of the Council of the EU, building on their shared programme of upholding European values within the EU.

For more on this story, see here.

1 January 2026

European Convention: UK Government to defend challenge in ECtHR

The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has reportedly expressed her decision to robustly defend the decision by the UK government to strip Shamima Begum of her British Citizenship at the European Court of Human Rights (“ECtHR”).

Shamima Begum was 15 when she travelled from east London to the Middle East in a territory then held by the Islamic State, where she married a fighter. Her citizenship was stripped by the British Government on the grounds she posed a threat to national security.

It has now emerged that Ms Begum is challenging the decision to revoke her citizenship under Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights – prohibition of slavery and forced labour.

In a research briefing from 2020, the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab concluded that “Between 2014 and 2017, the so-called Islamic State institutionally enslaved civilians as a strategic tactic in its military operations.”

For more on this story, see here.

To read the research briefing, see here.

31 December 2025

Gaza: Commissioner-General for Palestinian Refugees condemns Knesset vote

The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, has published a statement on the social media network X (formerly Twitter).

He has condemned a bill in the Israeli Knesset that would grant the Israeli government the power to confiscate UN property in occupied east Jerusalem, including UNRWA’s headquarters and its training centre.

For more on this story, see here.

For the statement, see here.

30 December 2025

International Arbitration: Landmark South African judgement signals limits to Arbitration secrecy

A court in South Africa has delivered a Judgement that has affirmed that the confidentiality of arbitral proceedings has limits in the jurisdiction.

The case concerned protracted legal proceedings from the 2013 grounding of a capsize bulker off Richards Bay.

The High Court of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban ordered a company linked to the Greek Shipowner Nicholas Moundreas to submit all London arbitration documents and transcripts from the London-seated arbitration.

For more on this story, see here.

30 December 2025

Sports Law: Chess Champion takes FIDE to Lausanne

The 14^th World Chess Champion, who dethroned Garry Kasparov in 2000, Vladimir Kramnik, has launched formal legal proceedings against the International Chess Federation (or Fédération Internationale des Échecs – “FIDE”).

However, instead of launching arbitral proceedings through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (“CAS”), Kramnik has launched civil litigation proceedings against FIDE directly in Lausanne where it is based.|

It is reported that Kramnik was already facing an ethics case against him, which he has condemned as “harassment”. Kramnik is reported to have previously accused FIDE of defamation.

The choice of forum may suggest that Kramnik is seeking broader remedies against the institution.

For more on this story, see here.