International Legal News - 15 December 2025
- Ned Vucijak
- Dec 15, 2025
- 3 min read
The following media round up on international and foreign policy issues from around the world for the period of 08 December to 12 December 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.
12 December 2025
Rule of Law: UN expert urges international opposition to upcoming Myanmar election
A report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, has urged the UK government to condemn Myanmar’s upcoming elections which have been accused of being a sham.
Andrews has stated:
“I urge the UK Government to proactively reach out to other Governments, especially those in Asia, to ensure they do the same. A strong, coordinated rejection of these sham elections is essential to deny the junta the means to fabricate credibility and legitimacy.”
The military who are in control of the region have called for elections to take place on 28 December 2025. It has been reported that the move is part of efforts to promote political stability in the region and mitigate the ongoing civil war that is taking place there.
For more on this story, see here.
11 December 2025
Ukraine: Human Rights NGO condemns alleged torture of Ukrainian Prisoners of War
A report published by the human rights NGO, Human Rights Watch has reported on what it says is evidence of alleged systematic torture against Ukrainian soldiers by Russia.
The torture of prisoners of war in international armed conflict is a long-established war crime under customary international law and under the relevant international treaties.
Human Rights Watch has reported that between July and October 2025, it has conducted in-depth interviews with 12 former prisoners of war captured in Donetska and Luhanska regions of Ukraine between March and July 2022. It is alleged that the conduct in question has transpired in multiple detention sites both in Russia and in Russian-occupied land.
For more on this story, see here.
10 December 2025
International Arbitration: French Court annuls legal bid by heirs of the Sultan of Sulu
The Parisian Court of Appeal has annulled a final arbitral award held by the heirs of the former Sultan of Sulu and in a dramatic development, has ordered them to pay EUR €200,000 to Malaysia.
The dispute goes back to 1878 when Europeans signed a deal with the Sultan of Sulu to use personal land spanning islands in the southern Philippines, and parts of Malay Borneo Island.
Following independence in 1957, Malaysia honoured the agreement by paying a sum periodically to the Sultan’s Filipino heirs. This came to an end in 2013 after loyalists to the former Sultanate launched an incursion to reclaim the land in question.
In 2022, an award was issued in favour of the heirs worth a reported $14.9 billion by a French arbitral tribunal. This was overturned by a French civil court in 2024. This latest judgment has affirmed the previous instance’s ruling.
A lawyer for the heirs has reportedly indicated plans to appeal the result.
For more on this story, see here.
9 December 2025
Defamation: Justice Secretary signals plan to crack down on SLAPPS
The UK’s Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, David Lammy has told campaigners and journalists of plans to curtail the use of SLAPPS (“Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation”) which have seen increased use in recent years.
The Guardian Newspaper reports that SLAPPS have been used to silence reporting on those who tried to expose the Post Office Horizon scandal, and allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed.
Lammy was quoted say saying:
“By stopping the powerful from using abusive lawsuits – so-called ‘Slapps’ – to intimidate reporters, silence investigations, and bury the truth under a mountain of legal threats. Because sunlight is always the best disinfectant.”
It is expected that further legislation on SLAPPS will be introduced before the next King’s speech.
For more on this story, see here.
8 December 2025
Blog Corner: “AI-Enabled Weapons Systems and the Environment: The Overlooked Costs of AI-Driven Warfare”
A post for EJIL: Talk! will be of specific interest for legal academics and practitioners interested in the relationship between AI weapon systems and environmental harm.
Marco Di Donato of the University of Verona examines how AI weapons systems can directly and indirectly cause harm to the environment, and considers what are the possible implications of these developments.
To read this article, see here.
