International Legal News - 7 July 2025

The following media round up on international and foreign policy issues from around the world for the period of 30 June to 5 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

5 July 2025

The United Kingdom restores diplomatic ties with Syria

The UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has announced that diplomatic relations with Syria are to be formally restored following meeting with interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Lammy was received in a meeting on Saturday by Al-Sharaa alongside the Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.

See full story here.

4 July 2025

Crackdown on protests in Togo prompts international outcry

The international human rights organisation Amnesty International has expressed outrage over the news of a violent crackdown taking place in Togo on June 26, 2025.

The Togolese authorities have been urged to stop the unlawful use of force and release detained prisoners, in addition to investigating alleged unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, and abduction in the country.

It is understood that violence in Togo’s capital, Lomé, follows protests against new provisions under the recently adopted constitution that would allow the current leader of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, to indefinitely extend his Presidential term limit. Although the provisions introduced a parliamentary system, and introduced a two-term limit, the provisions do not take time already spent in office into account, allowing Gnassingbé to remain in power until 2033, causing subsequent public consternation.

See the full story here.

For more on Togo’s constitutional reforms, see here.

3 July 2025

Mexico Subject to new ICSID mining claim

The estate of a British businessman in the mining sector has issued a request for ICSID arbitration against the State of Mexico. It seeks royalties from a lithium project that is subject to another set of ICSID proceedings.

See the full story here.

2 July 2025

Haitian capital paralysed by gang violence says UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Americas

Ambassadors gathered in a UN Security Council heard that Haiti’s capital is experiencing significant tumult due to the operation of significant gang violence. The nation is further isolated following the suspension of international commercial flights to the country.

The situation in the nation capital, Port-au-Prince, according to Miroslav Jenča, the Assistant Secretary-General for the Americas, risks “pushing the situation closer to the brink.” He is now calling for the international community to act lest the “total collapse of state presence in the capital could become a very real scenario”.

See the full story here.

1 July 2025

Council of Europe Congress President decries political deterioration in Georgia

The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Cools, issued a statement concerning the political climate in the Republic of Georgia.

Addressing the political situation of the country, located in the Caucasus, Cools expressed concerns over a joint statement issued by eight opposition political parties who have declared a boycott in local elections due to take place in October 2025.

Cools noted:

“In its resolution and recommendation adopted on 26 March 2025, the Congress urged Georgian authorities to resume inclusive political dialogue at all levels of government and with all stakeholders – including local authorities, opposition and civil society – in order to reduce polarisation, restore the checks and balances essential in a pluralist democracy and regulate the participation rights of the opposition. This is indispensable to restore the conditions for a democratic environment ahead of the 2025 local elections.”

Cools has urged the Georgian authorities to halt alleged persecution of political opponents and develop political dialogue.

See the full story here.

30 June 2025

UK High Court dismisses challenge to F-35 components “Carve Out”

A bid to challenge the decision by the UK’s Secretary of State for Business and trade to exempt the export of components used in the manufacture of F-35 combat aircrafts has been dismissed by the High Court.

On 2 September 2024, the UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade suspended licenses that authorised military exports used in Israeli military operations in Gaza, to comply with the UK Government’s policy that the State of Israel was no longer committed to compliance with international humanitarian law (“IHL”). However, export of specialist fighter jets components under the Joint Strike Fighter programme (“JSF”) to which the UK is a member, were exempt from this suspension, in what has been dubbed the “F-35 Carve Out”.

The Palestinian non-governmental human rights organisation Al-Haq which aims to document human right violations during the ongoing conflict in Gaza, sought to review the decision in the High Court, arguing that the Secretary of State had “misdirected himself” in deciding that the carveout was compatible with the UK’s IHL treaty obligations as well as its obligations under customary international law, in that those components might still find their way into Israeli military operations.

Dismissing their claim, Lord Justice Males and Mrs. Justice Steyn stated that the “[…] prospect that some UK manufactured components will or may ultimately be supplied to Israel, and may be used in the commission of a serious violation of IHL in the conflict in Gaza” did not constitute a sufficient basis for the Court to rule that the UK should withdraw from “[…] a specific multilateral defence collaboration”. [Both at paragraph 207 of the judgment].

See the full story here.

See Judgment here.