International Legal News - 11 August 2025
- Ned Vucijak
- Aug 11
- 3 min read
The following media round up on international and foreign policy issues from around the world for the period of 4 August to 9 August 2025.
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.
8 August 2025
UN Secretary General renews calls for nuclear disarmament at 80th Anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings
The 11th General Conference of Mayors for Peace in Nagasaki took place last week, in commemoration of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The use of the atomic bomb on both cities is widely considered to have expedited the end of the Second World War, but at the cost of more than a 100 thousand lives.
Speaking via video message, the secretary general Antonio Guterres renewed condemnation of nuclear weapons:
“Nuclear weapons have no place in our world,” they only offer the “illusion of safety and the certainty of devastation.”
Guterres has renewed a call for a general disarmament of nuclear weapons.
For more on this story, see here.
7 August 2025
Oligarch-linked ICSID claim against Ukraine comes to a halt
It is reported that an ICSID arbitral claim worth US$660 million has been discontinued.
The claim which was brought against Ukraine over a decade ago by an aviation company linked to the oligarch Igor Kolomoisky, will not be taken further after failure by the claimant to pay required advances.
For more on this story, see here.
6 August 2025
NGO warns Israel that vandalization of Lebanese schools could amount to a war crime
It has been reported that Israeli forces have taken control and vandalized a school in Lebanon, which the organisation Human Rights Watch has warned amounts to a war crime. In a recent report, the organisation found that five of the seven schools which had been visited, were damaged, with graffiti and refuse linked back to the military force’s presence on site.
A spokesperson for the IDF has told HRW that: “vandalism of civilian property does not align with the IDF’s values and constitutes a violation of its regulations”.
It is reported that at least 500 public schools in Lebanon are being used as collective shelters by civilians following escalating violence that has led to the displacement of 1.2 million people in the region.
For more on this story, see here.
5 August 2025
Symposium: The Principle of ne bis in idem in International Criminal Law
A monograph has been published by the Gaiane Nuridzhanian, associate professor at The Arctic University of Norway (UiT) entitled: “The Principle of ne bis in idem in International Criminal Law”.
The doctrine of ne bis in idem or ‘not twice in the same thing’ originates from Roman law and is the civil law jurisdiction equivalent to the common law doctrine of double jeopardy. In essence, it precludes legal action being taken twice over the same cause of action.
A modified meaning and applicability is attributed to the ne bis in idem doctrine under the Rome Statute, the treaty which established the International Criminal Court (“ICC”), whose jurisdiction over international crimes is complementary to the national law where the most significant crimes are said to occur.
The work, whose title (it is accepted) is somewhat self-explanatory, will nonetheless be of considerable interest to international criminal law practitioners, particularly those who wish to understand how the doctrine has been applied to the International Criminal Court.
A book symposium has been held which includes an address delivered by the author. G37 Chambers has a number of dedicated international criminal law specialists.
To read the author’s symposium remarks, see here.
For information about the publication, see here.
For insight into G37 Chambers’ expertise in international criminal law, see here.
4 August 2025
Brazil’s Supreme Court orders house arrest for former Brazilian premier
The Supeme Court in Brazil has ordered for Jair Bolsonaro, the former President of Brazil, to be placed under house arrest following allegations that he failed to comply with restraining orders last month.
In February 2025, Bolsonaro was charged over allegations that he plotted to stage a coup, which he denies.
The development has been criticised by the State Department of the United States who have condemned the order. In a statement posted on the social media website X (formerly known as Twitter) the State Department wrote it:
“…will hold accountable all those aiding and abetting sanctioned conduct.”
Bolsonaro served as president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023.
For more on this story, see here.