International Legal News - 17 November 2025
- Ned Vucijak
- Nov 17, 2025
- 3 min read
The following media round up on international and foreign policy issues from around the world for the period of 10 November to 17 November 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.
15 November 2025
Blog Corner: Gregory Gordon’s New Biography of Ben Ferencz
A few years ago, the US attorney Ben Ferencz, known for his role as an investigator and chief prosecutor for the US army at the Nuremberg Trials, passed away at the age of 103.
A titan of International Criminal Law, Ferencz has recently been the subject of a biography written by Gregory Gordon, Professor of Law at Peaking University School of Transnational Law.
To learn more, see here.
14 November 2025
Business and Human Rights: Ecuadorian Rights Group seeks to enforce Amazon Oil Referendum
A grassroots collective Yasunidos has reportedly filed a claim in Ecuador’s Constitutional Court to enforce the results of a 2023 referendum to halt oil extraction in the Ishpingo, Tambococha, and Tiputini (“ITT”) block of Yasuni National Park in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
It has been reported that the Court has previously stated that if voters approved the referendum, the Government would be required to immediately halt extraction and shut the wells by 31 August 2024.
However, two years after the result, extraction has continued in the region.
The claim seeks a court order to compel the Government to suspend oil extraction, cancel related contracts and licenses, and develop a credible plan to close the oil wells.
For more on this story, see here.
13 November 2025
Investment Arbitration: ICSID tribunal refuses to suspend Tunisian criminal proceedings
It has been reported that an ICSID tribunal which is hearing a Canadian oil and gas group’s USD$503 million claim against Tunisia has refused to order the state to suspend criminal proceedings.
It has been reported that one of the Claimant’s subsidiaries and their related proceedings did not have an impact on the arbitration.
For more on this story, see here.
12 November 2025
Sports Law and Human Rights: UEFA urged to suspend Israel over violations
A letter issued by an organisation called Game Over Israel with support from Athletes 4 Peace and a collection of professional athletes has urged the Union of European Football Associations (“UEFA”) to suspend Israel over human right violations alleged against the Palestinian population in Gaza.
The letter states that:
“this is not about politics or taking sides. It’s about justice, humanity and the values sport claims to stand for and not allowing nations to whitewash their illegal and inhuman actions through sport.”
It notes that the offensive in the region has reportedly led to the death of at least 421 Palestinian footballers, including Suleiman Al-Obeid in August 2025, also known as the “Palestinian Pele” who was killed in an attack while seeking humanitarian aid.
For more on this story, see here.
11 November 2025
Human Rights and Asylum Law: UK High Court dismisses District Council Application on “Asylum Hotels”
Asylum Seekers can continue to live in a hotel in Essex after a bid for their removal by Epping District Council at the High Court failed. The Council reportedly argued that the owner of the hotel had flouted planning rules.
Dismissing the claim, Mr Justice Mould held that an injunction was “Not an appropriate means of enforcing planning controls”.
The use of so-called “Asylum Hotels” has been a politically sensitive topic in the United Kingdom and caused several associated protests.
The ruling comes after a temporary injunction was granted earlier in August only to be overturned by the Court of Appeal after intervention by the Home Office.
For more on this story, see here.
To read the latest judgment, see here.
10 November 2025
Blog Corner: “Leaving Out ‘Leaving it in the Ground’: The ECtHR’s Greenpeace Nordic Judgment”
A post by Pranav Ganesan of the University of Zurich, on EJIL: Talk! will be of importance for practioners and academics with an emphasis on climate litigation and human rights. It explores the significance of a recent judgment by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg (“ECtHR”).
More specifically, Ganesan provides an analysis of Greenpeace Nordic and Others v Norway, which concerned the issuance of licenses for oil exploration in the Barents Sea which Ganesan suggests represents a new type of climate case that concerns the issue of exploration licenses, rather than the state’s overall climate mitigation policy.
To read this post, see here.