The government of Kenya revealed Sunday that it had pulled out of the maritime border case with Somalia just a few hours before the scheduled virtual hearing before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands. In a letter to the ICJ, Kenya’s Attorney General argued that the COVID-19 pandemic struck right after [...]
Search Results for: Somali
Canada police officer acquitted over death of mentally ill Black man
The Ontario Court of Justice acquitted Canadian police constable Daniel Montsion Tuesday of all charges, including manslaughter and assault, in the death of a mentally ill Black man who was arrested in Ottawa in 2016. Abdirahman Abdi, a Somali-Canadian man, led police on a foot chase that culminated in his arrest. The police had Abdi on [...]
Somalian Pirates and the Law of the Sea: International Law in Crisis
“Somalia is a land that has descended so deeply into misery that “failed state” is too generous a description for the country.” –TIME Magazine In August 2020, three Iranian hostages who had been held for five years were freed by Somalian pirates, as contradictory news emerged that another ship had been intercepted after a three-year [...]
US Ninth Circuit rules mass surveillance program exposed by Snowden was unlawful
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Wednesday that the US government’s mass surveillance program exposed by Edward Snowden seven years ago was unlawful. The ruling was handed down as part of the court’s decision in a case involving four members of the Somali diaspora who were convicted for sending or conspiring to [...]
UN rights chief urges Somali lawmakers to reject bill legitimizing child marriage
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said Monday that the draft legislation introduced by parliamentarians in Somalia must not be enacted as it violates international human rights norms, including legitimizing child marriage. “This new draft legislation would represent a serious step backward for the rights of victims of sexual violence in Somalia, in [...]
The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) and the UN Human Rights Office released a joint report on Monday advising Somalia to take precautions to ensure that the human rights violations that occurred last year would not have a negative impact on their peace efforts or future elections. According to UNSOM, these violations had a direct [...]
ICJ rules it has jurisdiction over Kenya-Somalia boundary dispute
The UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday ruled that it had the authority to adjudicate a dispute over a stretch of water in the Indian Ocean that is potentially laden with oil and gas. Somalia asked...
Amnesty International (AI) on Tuesday urged the Kenyan government to cease coercing refugees into leaving the Dadaab refugee camp and returning to Somalia. The Kenyan government announced its intention to close Dadaab, the world's largest refugee...
The UN Security Council expressed regret on Friday regarding postponed elections in Somalia. The council called on all parties to implement the 2016 electoral calendar without delay. The parliamentary elections, planned to take place...
Federal appeals court rules Somali pirate cannot withdraw plea deal
The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled Wednesday that a Somali man convicted of piracy cannot withdraw his plea deal . Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse was the sole surviving pirate suspect from the...