News

Three and a half years have passed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the prospects for peace and security feel slimmer than ever. From the outset, Russia has never sincerely sought peace—only Ukraine’s total submission.

The 1997 Mine Ban Treaty and its states parties’ obligations have been a major topic of discussion at the UN General Assembly’s First Committee on Disarmament and International Security this October. Many states have criticized Ukraine’s unprecedented declaration to suspend its obligations under the treaty until its war with Russia ends. States began submitting formal objections to the UN on October 17.

The Clinic and Human Rights Watch have released a new fact sheet, “Incendiary Weapons: Need for Stronger Law and a New Forum,” which Bonnie Docherty —who works for both the Clinic and Human Rights Watch—is disseminating in New York at the UN General Assembly’s First Committee on Disarmament and International Security. 

Autonomous weapons systems pose grave risks to human rights during both war and peacetime, the International Human Rights Clinic and Human Rights Watch said in a recently released report. Governments should tackle the concerns raised by such weapons systems, known as “killer robots,” by negotiating a multinational treaty to address the dangers.  

Russia’s Aerial Attacks on Ukraine Amount to Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes, Perpetrators Must Be Held Accountable, According to Clinic’s Factual Investigation and Legal Analysis.

Human Rights Watch and Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic recently released a new question-and-answer document on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. The paper was published in advance of a regional meeting on the topic, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from February 27-28, 2025.

IHRC has published new recommendations for designing an international trust fund on victim assistance and environmental remediation under the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).