A Peruvian judge approved early release to house arrest for a U.S. citizen jailed since 1995 on terrorism charges of unlawful collaboration with the Marxist-Leninist Túpac Amaru Resistance Movement (MRTA) rebels during Fujimori's Presidency. Judge Maria Jessica León Yarango of the First Supra-Provincial Criminal Court of the Superior Court of Justice of Lima ordered Lori Berenson's release to house arrest, subject to several conditions, including that she neither leave Peru nor contact or visit inmates still in prison on terrorism charges. Berenson, originally sentenced to life imprisonment by a hooded military tribunal for violating anti-terrorism laws decreed by then-President Fujimori, has served almost 15 years of a 20-year sentence imposed at her retrial in a civilian court. Her conditional release to live in Miraflores, an upscale tourist district of Lima, however, has been greeted with concern by nearby businesses and residents who worry about post-release supervision and public safety, according to Peruvian media. Moreover, Peru's President Alan Garcia, former Justice Minister Aurelio Pastor, and the former president of the Superior Court Marcos Ibazeta, who rendered Berenson's 20-year sentence in 2002, are quoted in yesterday's media questioning whether Berenson, a convicted terrorist who has not made a public declaration of remorse, should have been granted parole. President Garcia called the law allowing her early release a mistake but expressed respect for the judicial decision and the independence of the judiciary. Today, Justice Minister Victor Garcia Toma posted his proposal of an Executive expulsion of Berenson and its legal justification on the Ministry's website. If President Garcia would commute her sentence, she could be immediately deported. Minister Garcia Toma indicated the President's Council of Ministers will consider this legal option next week. More

The Interdisciplinary Journal of Human Rights Law (IJHRL) is an annual, peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by the Council for American Students in International Negotiations. The journal invites quality submissions from scholars, jurists, and professionals in fields related to human rights. Occasionally, exceptional student work will be accepted. IJHRL also welcomes review essays, book reviews, and comments/notes from the field. Manuscripts are accepted on a rolling basis, with preference given to submissions received before July 1, 2010 for the upcoming issue. More

In the inaugural Foreign Affairs Essay Contest, a panel from the Foreign Affairs editorial staff will select one undergraduate's essay to be published on the Foreign Affairs website. The winner will also receive a prize of $500, and five honorable mentions will receive a free year-long subscription to Foreign Affairs. Open to all undergraduate students of accredited colleges and universities worldwide graduating no earlier than May 2010. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2010. More

The Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) is currently seeking proposals for paper presentations at its 2010 annual conference, to be held on November 4-6, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Members from any discipline, tenured or untenured faculty or those otherwise affiliated with a recognized research institution, may submit proposals to participate in the conference. Unique proposals from senior graduate students will also be considered. The deadline for proposals is June 4, 2010. More

The Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) is pleased to announce the Norman Dorsen/Stuart & Ellen Filler Fellowship, a one academic-year (9-month) fellowship focused on issues in legal education and not-for-profit development to begin in August 2010. The Dorsen/Filler Fellowship seeks a talented, committed, and visionary law school graduate interested in a career in legal education or in development work in a not-for-profit institution. A law degree from a U.S. law school is required by August 2010. The Fellow will be located in the SALT national office on Long Island, NY. The deadline for applications is June 15, 2010. More

The Chinese (Taiwan) Yearbook of International Law and Affairs commenced publication in 1981 and is jointly published by Cameron May and the Chinese (Taiwan) Society of International Law. The Yearbook contains contributions addressing issues in international law and international relations with a focus on Taiwan, Mainland China, and the Asia-Pacific region. The deadline for submissions is August 1, 2010. More

The Pacific Journalism Review invites articles and commentaries for its October 2010 edition. The theme of "Media Freedom in Oceania" relates to the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day 2010 conference in Brisbane. The editors are especially interested in submissions related to the Asia-Pacific region. Suggested topics include constitutional changes, media regulatory models and developments, FOI laws and practices, and future trends in regional media models. The double blind peer-reviewed journal has four main sections: research articles, commentaries, forum, and reviews. The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2010. More

Health and Human Rights, an international journal available in print and online, is accepting submissions for a special issue on health and human rights in disasters. Articles should be between 5,000-7,000 words. Papers accepted for formal review will be sent anonymously to at least two independent referees with all authorship details removed. The Journal is published by the François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights within the Harvard School of Public Health. Its companion blog, OpenForum, allows contributors to post shorter news, respond to journal articles, and offer editorial and opinion pieces. The deadline for articles is September 15, 2010. More

On this day in 1994, Jean Kambanda became the Prime Minister of Rwanda. During the 100-day campaign, he incited genocide on the radio by announcing, "Genocide is justified in the fight against the enemy." He became the first head of state to plead guilty to genocide since the adoption of the Genocide Convention and was sentenced to life imprisonment by the ad hoc International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). His sentence was upheld on appeal on October 19, 2000. He currently is in prison in Bamako Central Prison, Mali. In memory of those known and unknown who died . . . More

The African Journal of Economic and Management Studies (AJEMS), a peer-reviewed journal published by Emerald, is accepting papers for a special issue dedicated to corporate social responsibility in Africa. The primary purpose of this special edition is to increase the published research on the topic and to broaden the scope of the research to include multiple countries and regions within Africa. The editors encourage articles on governance models, companies' experiences in conflict zones, companies' experiences with human rights, the institutional context of CSR, and sustainability. Articles should reflect one of the following categories: theoretical or empirical research, viewpoint, technical, conceptual, case study, literature review, or general review. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2010. More

The Obama Administration yesterday released its Nuclear Posture Review Report (NPR), which establishes "U.S. nuclear policy, strategy, capabilities, and force posture for the next five years to ten years." The 2010 NPR becomes the third official high-level review and the first one to be entirely declassified. The NPR's key objectives emphasize prevention, no new nuclear weapons, no new nuclear testing, and strategic options for deterrence. For the first time, prevention is given top priority. One of the key elements of prevention, identified in the Review, is the strengthening of international law and its institutions to ensure nuclear security worldwide. The Review calls for bolstering the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as the centerpiece of the nuclear nonproliferation regime; pursuing ratification and early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT); seeking negotiations on a verifiable Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT); and creating new frameworks for treaty enforcement and international nuclear energy cooperation. The NPR states the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) must be given additional financial resources and stronger verification authority to deter and detect safeguards violations. The release of the NPR occurred two days before the signing of a new U.S.-Russia arms reduction treaty and six days before President Obama's Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. on April 12-13, 2010, during which 43 heads of state will address the clandestine proliferation of nuclear material and nuclear material trafficking. More

Eyes on the ICC, a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal dedicated exclusively to the work of the International Criminal Court and international criminal law, invites quality submissions for its 7th volume from practitioners, scholars, jurists, and professionals in fields related to international criminal law and policy. Exceptional student work may be accepted for publication. The journal is published by the Council for American Students in International Negotiations. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. The deadline for submissions is July 15, 2010. More

The Tilburg Law Review Journal of International and European Law is now accepting submissions for its Student Essay Competition. The theme is "The EU and International Law after the Lisbon Treaty: Challenges and Opportunities." Essays should not exceed 5,000 words, excluding footnotes. Only currently enrolled students are eligible to participate. Ph.D. and J.S.D./S.J.D. students are not eligible. The winning essay will be published in the Journal. The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2010. More

The Tilburg Law Review Journal of International and European Law is now accepting submissions on international and European law. Submissions that address both international and transnational dimensions of a legal issues are especially encouraged, as are those that place legal studies in a societal context. Book reviews are also welcome. The next issue, Volume 15 Issue 1, will be published in the summer of 2010. The deadline for submissions is May 15, 2010. More

After dedicating much of his career to the establishment of the International Criminal Court, M. Cherif Bassiouni -- often called the "father" of international criminal law -- startled an audience at an international law conference in Washington, D.C. on Thursday when he called some international criminal tribunals shams and declared others to be mired in bureaucratic failures. He asserted that there really is no political will by States to have an independent international criminal justice system. Experience has shown that States can create obstacles to justice and international accountability by intentionally underfunding some efforts, making access to data difficult, supporting tribunals premised on little more than window-dressing, and creating overly bureaucratic international criminal systems. He never blatantly said the ICC will dissolve, but he implied its current overly bureaucratic framework is leading to the Court's irrelevancy. Whereas his quixotic dream has been to build an international criminal system to stop national politicians from determining who gets prosecuted, the hero of international criminal justice now implies that his vision is unachievable, at least within any foreseeable future. As such, Bassiouni predicts that there will be a transformation of international law and its institutions. "International criminal justice will take another turn," he said. "And maybe it's a turn for the best." Specifically, we likely will see a shift from supranational criminal courts to national courts, which he said will be more successful in prosecuting the guilty. The challenge he put forth to the lawyers and soon-to-be international lawyers in the room is how to use international law both to connect the national courts and to provide for effective domestic prosecutions of international crimes. More

Last night, U.S. State Department legal adviser Harold Koh outlined, for the first time, the Obama administration's legal justifications under international law for the targeted killings of non-state actors using remotely piloted aircraft, often referred to as "drones." He inserted the topic of drones into his keynote at the American Society of International Law 104th Annual Meeting at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C. The United States has used drones since at least 2001 to kill high-level terrorist operatives abroad, particularly in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen. The Obama administration has significantly increased the number of targeted drone killings, according to various non-governmental organizations and media outlets. In this posting, I look at the specific legal reasoning and standards put forth by Koh, the reactions by international law experts, and a few unanswered questions under international law. More

The American Society of International Law 104th Annual Meeting will be held March 24-27, 2010 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Washington, D.C. This year's theme is "International Law in a Time of Change." The two keynote lectures will be delivered by Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin of the Supreme Court of Canada and Harold Hongju Koh, the Legal Adviser to the U.S. Department of State. Additional featured speakers include: Georgetown University Law School Professor Edith Brown Weiss; International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes Secretary-General Meg Kinnear, and George Washington University Law School Professor Dinah Shelton. Onsite registration will be available. Select sessions will be available by live webcast. More

The E-Commerce and Tax Law Journal invites articles by academics, practitioners and policymakers on a variety of topics, including e-commerce, electronic contracting, technology-related torts, cybercrime, privacy, Internet taxation, and international taxation. The journal accepts full-length articles, book reviews, news notes, and opinion pieces. It is published by International Business Law Services in partnership with the Diamond Graduate International Tax Program and the Thomas Jefferson School of Law Masters in Law Program. More

The Minnesota Journal of International Law now has an online companion for shorter and timely articles. Selected articles will be published on a rolling basis, after undergoing the same editorial process and cite-checking as the print journal articles. Articles should be between 1500 and 3000 words. Scholars and practitioners from all disciplines may submit articles. More

The American Bar Association Section of International Law Spring Meeting will be held on April 13-17, 2010 at the Grand Hyatt New York in New York City. The conference will feature more than 70 programs and 8 optional social events. The pre-registration deadline is Wednesday, March 31, 2010. The deadline for a discounted hotel rate is Tuesday, March 23, 2010. Still pondering whether you want to attend? Here's my "Top 5 Reasons to Attend" this conference. More

The 14th Annual International Environmental Moot Court Competition concluded yesterday with the Law Society of Ireland, Cork as Applicant facing the University of Maryland School of Law as Respondent. This year's simulated case before the International Court of Justice focused on "Beaked Whales and Marine Seismic Surveys." Student attorneys made arguments under the Espoo Convention, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the duty to prevent transboundary harm under customary international law. More than 80 teams competed worldwide with 19 teams advancing to the international finals in Florida. And the 2010 winner is . . . More

In judging different moot court competitions during the past two months, I have noticed several competitors did not understand the difference between signatories and parties to a treaty. This posting provides a brief overview of when a treaty is legally binding upon a State and a few examples. More

The Melbourne Journal of International Law (MJIL) invites submissions for issue 11(2), to be published in October 2010. MJIL is a peer-reviewed academic journal managed by Melbourne Law School students at the University of Melbourne and published bi-annually in June and October. MJIL's objective is to facilitate scholarly research and critical discussion of private and public international law issues. The deadline for submissions is July 2, 2010. More

The American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) and the International Law Students Association (ILSA) invite panel proposals for their annual International Law Weekend, to be held on October 21-23, 2010 in New York. The overall theme of ILW 2010 is "International Law and Institutions: Advancing Justice, Security and Prosperity." The preferred format is 90-minute panels with at least three speakers. Divergent views are encouraged. The deadline for proposals is April 9, 2010. More

Law students and early career researchers are invited to submit proposals for papers and completed papers for the upcoming summer conference of the International Law Students Association (ILSA). The Conference will be held at Bahcesehir University in Istanbul, Turkey on July 7-10, 2010. The theme this year is "Discussing Global Issues within the Framework of the United Nations." Papers may be considered for publication, even if they are not presented at the conference. The deadline to submit paper proposals is May 14, 2010. More

The RDI-NALSAR National Conference on Legal Aid to Secure Land Rights to the Rural Poor invites papers. Of particular interest are the possible roles of governments, NGOs, and paralegals in securing the land rights for the world's poorest people. Are existing legal aid models delivering the desired results? The Conference will be held on April 10-11, 2010 at the NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. The deadline for submissions of abstracts is March 25, 2010. More

The Goettingen Journal of International Law is currently seeking submissions for its 3rd International Law Essay Competition. All law students worldwide are eligible to submit a paper. This year's topic is "The Rise of Self-Determination." The best article will be published in an upcoming issue. The deadline for submission is June 15, 2010. More

Consider the following unattributed sage words of wisdom as special "gifts" to your 2010 team from last year's competitors. They asked me not to mention their names, saying that their highest reward will be watching you benefit from their advice. The list was originally circulated in 2009. Still wondering what to say in court, what types of questions judges will ask, what to do if you don't know the answer, or which advocacy strategies will sway the judges? Here, I offer commentary to accompany the Top 21 Reverse Tips for Moot Court Competitions. More

The Goettingen Journal of International Law invites emerging scholars and junior faculty to submit papers for its upcoming international conference, "Resources of Conflict – Conflicts over Resources." The Conference will be held on October 7-9, 2010 in Göttingen, Germany. It will feature two keynote speeches and four panels. ICJ Judge Bruno Simma will be one of the keynote speakers. Submissions with interdisciplinary approaches in the fields of international law, international politics and from adjacent disciplines are encouraged. The deadline to submit abstracts of no more than 500 words is June 1, 2010. More

The organizers of the 2nd Young Scholars Workshop 2010 are accepting papers. The Workshop is sponsored by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL). It will be held from September 30 to October 1 at the National University of Singapore Law School. This year's theme is "Asian Approaches to International Law: Theory, Institutions, Processes and Practices." The deadline for submissions is April 2, 2010.
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The IADIS International Conference e-Democracy, Equity and Social Justice will be held in Freiburg, Germany on July 26-28, 2010, as a sub-conference of the IADIS Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems (MCCSIS 2010). It aims to foster an exchange of information between researchers and practitioners on the challenges and the successes of using electronic technologies to promote grassroots democracy, equity, and social justice. The organizers invite papers (full, short, or reflections) and proposals for panels discussions, tutorials and poster sessions. It is a blind peer-reviewed conference. The best papers will be published in an international journal. The deadline for submissions is February 19, 2010. More

The Frank Jennings Internship in Human Rights provides an opportunity for law students and entry-level attorneys to work for 1 year at Front Line, an international NGO headquartered in Dublin, and at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. Applicants must be fluent in English and Spanish and demonstrate a commitment to a career in human rights. Priority will be given to applicants with a background or prior work experience in human rights, international law, and the UN system. A stipend is provided. The deadline to apply for the Frank Jennings Internship in Human Rights has been extended to February 12, 2010. More

The 23rd Annual Conference of the International Association for Conflict Management will take place on June 24-27, 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts. The organizers are accepting papers, as well as proposals for symposia, debates, roundtables, workshops, and novel session formats. Presentations can be submitted as either full length papers or extended abstracts. Preference will be given to innovative submissions focused on decision-making, negotiation, conflicts in the public sector, social justice, third party intervention, environmental and public resource conflict, international institutional conflicts, and terrorism. Law and Ph.D. students are encouraged to submit high quality papers; a few scholarships are available to cover travel and registration. Awards will be given to outstanding papers. The deadline for submissions is February 8, 2010. More

A special issue of the International Criminal Law Review, to be dedicated to Judge Patricia M. Wald, will focus on women and international criminal law. Three guest editors -- Diane Marie Amann, UC Davis, School of Law; Jaya Ramji-Nogales, Temple University, Beasley School of Law; and Beth Van Schaack, University of Santa Clara, School of Law -- will review invited and contributed articles of 5-10,000 words. Contributors also will present their articles at a roundtable at ASIL in Washington, D.C. on 29 October, 2010, to coincide with the 10th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on "Women, Peace, and Security." The deadline for submissions is 15 April 2010. This call for papers comes from IntLawGrrls, a co-sponsor of the roundtable. More

The organizers of the Global Lunar Conference, to be held 30 May - 3 June 2010 in Beijing, China, invite abstracts and papers related to space law, particularly the legal issues of continued peaceful uses of the Moon. The Conference is jointly organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), the Chinese Society of Astronautics (CSA), and the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG). Young professionals and law students are encouraged to participate. The deadline for abstracts is 15 January 2010. More