International Legal News - 21 July 2025

The following media round up on international and foreign policy issues from around the world for the period of 14 July to 18 July 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.

Guernica 37 International Legal News

18 July 2025

UN warns Peruvian amnesty bill for atrocity crimes violates international law

A bill has been approved by the Peruvian Congress which proposes to grant amnesty for historic atrocity crimes.

The approved bill will provide amnesty to the armed forces, national police, self-defence committees and state officials who committed serious human rights violations during the internal armed conflict between 1980 and 2000.

However, the UN has now warned that the proposed law is likely to be contrary to international legal norms.

It is reported that while Article 6(5) of the Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions, permits states to award amnesty to individuals who have previously participated in internal armed conflicts, the applicability of the provision may not extend to further conduct. This is because international customary law does not permit amnesty to anyone who commits conduct that contravene peremptory norms, i.e. war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

For more on this story, see here.

17 July 2025

Mounting anticipation as ICJ’s Climate Advisory Opinion expected

On 23 July 2025, at 3pm CEST, the International Court of Justice is expected to deliver its long-anticipated opinion on the climate obligations of states.

The ICJ is expected to provide its answer to two questions:

1.     What are states' obligations under international law to protect the climate system from greenhouse gas emissions?

2.     What are the legal consequences for states that fail to meet these obligations?

The legal process began in 2021, when law students in Vanuatu - concerned about the effect of rising sea-levels - launched a campaign for legal clarity on climate obligations.

The WWF has argued that a legal duty to protect and restore biodiversity should be recognised, that will require states to recognise that nature is both threatened by rising emissions and part of the solution to securing a stable climate system.

For more on this story, see here.

17 July 2025

House of Commons Research Briefings: Humanitarian Situation in Sudan

A new research briefing has been published by Philip Loft, Julie Gill and Timothy Robinson in the House of Commons Library in advance of a Westminster Hall debate on the humanitarian situation in Sudan, scheduled to take place for Tuesday 22 July 2025 between 14.30pm – 16:00pm.

The debate will be led by Harpreet Upal MP.

The report provides a background to the conflict, a summary of the humanitarian situation in Sudan, as well as an overview of the UK’s aid spending commitments to the region.

Website update can be found here.

To read the full report, see here.

16 July 2025

Hague Group announces steps to accountability in Gaza

A coalition of 12 countries has met in Bogota, Columbia, where they have agreed to pursue accountability, in respect to Israel’s conduct in Gaza, including a bar to arms sales to the country.

The two-day meeting resulted in agreement to six measures, amongst 12 countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and South Africa.

Executive Secretary to the Hague Group, Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, stated:

“Today marks an end to the era of the impunity and the beginning of collective state action by governments of conscience.”

The measures are reported to include support for “universal jurisdiction mandates”, which would enable international bodies to prosecute serious international crimes.

For more on this story, see here.

15 July 2025

Landmark ECtHR ruling in Human Rights and Sports Law

The South African runner Caster Semenya has succeeded in her claim at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). On 10 July 2025, the ECtHR, based in Strasbourg, handed down judgment in her favour, holding that the process conducted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and judicial review process provided by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court in respect to the sporting regulations affecting her eligibility to compete inadequately protected her human rights.

Semenya challenged regulations imposed by World Athletics, which excluded women with differences of sex development (DSD) from competing in the female category unless they underwent medical intervention to lower their natural testosterone.  The regulations have been in effect since 2019.

The Strasbourg Court has now held that the regulations have never been properly assessed in respect to their proportionality under international human rights law. They have on four votes to three found that there has been a breach of Article 13, and Article 14 in conjunction with Article 8.

For more on this story, see here.

For the court judgment, see here.

14 July 2025

Investment Arbitration claim against Kosovo green-lit

A UK marble quarrying investor says it can proceed with a long-stalled investment arbitration against Kosovo worth €195 million after it secured backing from a new funder advised by Vannin Capital co-founder Nick Rowles-Davies.

For more on this story, see here