Iran’s clear breach of international law

A crowd of Iranian “protesters” has stormed the British embassy in Tehran today, following the adoption of a new law requiring the expulsion of the British ambassador. Of course I’ve no proof that the “protests” are planned and directed by the Iranian government, but even to consider they might be spontaneous would I think break […]

Government note on the legal basis for deployment in Libya

The government has today published a note (hat tip to Paul Waugh) setting out a summary of the legal basis of the government’s deployment in Libya. Actually it does no more than explain that UN Resolution 1973 authorises member states to take all necessary measures to enforce a no-fly zone and to protect civilians in […]

Charon QC’s interview with Julian Assange’s lawyer Mark Stephens

CharonQC managed to secure an interview today with Mark Stephens – no doubt a very busy solicitor at the moment, given the arrest and detention of his client Julian Assange on a European arrest warrant from Sweden. Mark Stephens tells us a number of new and interesting things in this interview, including a bit more […]

Charon QC podcast: arresting the Pope, is legislation invalid, and a hung Parliament – who gets to be PM?

Charon QC interviewed me this afternoon as part of his “20 minutes” series of podcasts. First we spoke about arresting the Pope following my post earlier today. The we moved on briefly to discuss the former UKIP MEP Ashley Mote’s idea that all legislation since 2000 is “invalid“, before finishing with a discussion of who […]

The invasion of Iraq was lawful

This blog didn’t exist when US and British forces, with others, invaded Iraq in 2003. I’ve never written directly about the legality of the war. But with Sir Michael Wood and Elizabeth Wilmshurst having given evidence to the Iraq inquiry yesterday, and Lord Goldsmith due to appear today, I think it’s time for me to […]

Binyam Mohamed: torture and secrecy; wood and trees

Following on from my Charon podcast yesterday, I thought it might help to put my thoughts in writing about last Friday’s judgment. It might be farcical, except that it relates to the cruel treatment and possibly torture of a prisoner. It’s the latest in a series of judgments, of course, and there have been no […]

Charon QC podcast: the Binyam Mohamed case

I spoke to Charon QC this afternoon about last Friday’s judgment in R (Mohamed) v Foreign Secretary, in which the Administrative Court ruled that it should make public in its original judgment 7 paragraphs, consisting of 25 lines, summarising American intelligence agency reports to British officers, in which they apparently admit Mohamed was subjected to […]

Lord Bingham on the legality of the Iraq war

So, Lord Bingham has given his legal view of the Iraq war: that the invasion was a serious breach of international law. Is there anyone who hasn’t made up their mind about this already? I doubt it. Of course, Lord Bingham has had to wait until his retirement to make his view public, so can’t […]

The Karadzic Indictment

In a busy week for judgments I’ve not yet mentioned the arrest of Radovan Karadzic and his transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. But I’m as pleased as anyone else about it. Of course leaders like Milosevic and perhaps Karadzic can make the proceedings look like a charade, and of course […]

R (Al Jedda) v Defence Secretary: detention in Iraq does not breach human rights

The legality or otherwise of the invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003 has been the biggest international legal issue of our time – and it continues to cause division and disagreement not only in the Dog and Duck but also in the House of Lords, as today’s Lords judgment in this case shows. Mr. […]