International Legal News - 30 June 2025
- Ned Vucijak
- Jun 30
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 7
The following media round up on international and foreign policy issues from around the world for the period of 23 June to 27 June 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.
27 June 2025
India blocks UN aviation investigators from entry in Air India crash probe
The International Civil Aviation Organization, a specialised agency of the United Nations, has had its request for one of its investigators to be granted observer status, has been refused by Indian authorities. |
The refusal follows the deadly crash of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operated by Air India that led to the death of 260 people on board. The domestic Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is instead leading its own investigations alongside the United State’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
It is understood that the flight recorder data has been downloaded by investigators, two weeks after the crash. Collaboration between the Indian and US aviation authorities has rather further questions about application of Annex 13 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, which govern where flight recorded should be read to obtain information on aviation accidents.
An unnamed Indian aviation ministry official has stated that the department is “following all the ICAO protocols”. The investigation continues.
26 June 2025
Iran suspends cooperation with International Atomic Energy Agency
The Gurdian Council of Iran has ratified legislation approved by the Iranian parliament which suspends cooperation between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The move follows from a belligerent set of exchanges between Iran on one side and Israel and the United States on the other.
Guardian Council spokesperson Hadi Tahan Nazif told the officially state news agency the IRNA, that the Iranian Government will now suspend cooperation in “full respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran”.
The Bill is now subject to the final approval of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
26 June 2025
Council of Europe and Ukraine to establish special tribunal for the Crime of Aggression
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset have agreed to establish a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression.
A reported 46 member states are set to support the agreement, which will provide an international legal mechanism that addresses Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Crime of Aggression refers to the decision of a head of state to initiate a war against another, which in principle, can violate Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, that prohibits the threat and use of force and requires UN members to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of other states.
In addition to international legal standards the proposed tribunal will reportedly adhere to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the jurisprudence of which has long established rights of due process, fair trial, and protection against retroactive punishment.
The tribunal’s competence to try crimes of aggression, will likely address a lacuna in the Rome Statute, which established in the International Criminal Court (ICC) which has a limited jurisdiction over the international criminal offence.
25 June 2025
Joint statement condemns recent sanctions against the International Criminal Court
A joint statement for the interactive dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Layers, issued by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, Human Rights Watch, and the International Commission of Jurists, has condemned the imposition of sanctions issued by the US against the International Criminal Court (ICC) and individuals associated with the world court.
24 June 2025
Israel imposes new regulatory obligations on foreign media
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed dismay over a new set of directives ordered by the Israeli defence forces on 18 June 2025 which requires international media outlets to obtain prior approval from the military censor before broadcasting news from combat zones or missile impact areas in Israel.
Commenting on the new directives, CPJ regional director Sara Qudah stated that these developments “deprives the world of a clear, unfiltered view of the reality unfolding in the region.”
The directives have incurred domestic disapproval. Leader of the Opposition in the Israeli Knesset, Yair Lapid has been openly critical of the decision. The Union of Journalists in Israel has also denounced the decision.
It has been reported that enforcement of the directives has already taken place through police and the Shin Bet security agency, that has seen the confiscation of camera equipment, and confrontations with journalists at rocket impact sites.
23 June 2025
Ukraine faces ICSID claim over seizure of concrete plants
A Russian billionaire’s company has launched an ICSID claim against Ukraine over concrete plants that were nationalised on the basis of the County’s sanctions regime.
