Category Archives: Canada
The strongest voice in the West for the universal application of international law: Why Spain is right to stand up for international law in the US-Israeli war in Iran
The following is a guest post by Thomas Obel Hansen, who is is the Beatriz Galindo Distinguished Professor with the Department of International Law, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; he has a research affiliation with the Transitional Justice Institute, Ulster … Continue reading →
Canada’s record on illegal and aggressive war is more complicated – and worse – than you think. It’s in Ottawa’s interest for that to change.
In response to U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, the Canadian government declined to defend the United Nations Charter and its prohibitions on the unlawful use of force under Article 2(4). Statements by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Foreign Minister Anita … Continue reading →
Middle Power Problems: What if Canada had arrested Netanyahu when he flew over the country?
The following is a guest post by Sarah Nimigan, on the recent travel of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Canadian airspace, in defiance of the ICC’s warrant against him. Sarah is a an Academic Research Associate with the Centre … Continue reading →
To Exhume or not to Exhume? The Decision is for Indigenous communities, and Indigenous communities alone, to make
They knew the bodies were there. Hundreds of them. Yet they could not agree on whether or not to exhume them. In the end, the Polish authorities and Jewish community members compromised: there would be a quick and partial exhumation … Continue reading →
Hundreds of Iranian regime figures have reportedly resided in Canada. When will Ottawa hold them accountable?
We do not know the exact number of Iranians killed, arbitrarily arrested, and tortured during Iran’s lethal crackdown on protesters – but we do know the number is staggering. Foreign citizens, including a Canadianare among those murdered by Iranian authorities. In moments … Continue reading →
Forget elbows; we need a spine: If Ottawa won’t condemn Trump’s violations of international law, who will speak out when he comes for Canada?
It is not just the attacks on Venezuela and Iran, breaches of the United Nations’ Charter, or the use of illegal force that still somehow left a dictatorship in place. It is not just the threats to annex Greenland or to make … Continue reading →
More of the same, or changes on the way? For the first time in a decade, the Canadian War Crimes Program sheds light on what it has been up to.
Atrocities in Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine raise a question: do people in countries far away, like Canada, have a role in addressing the suffering of others? While these conflicts can appear remote, affecting only distant strangers, the horrors they produce … Continue reading →
We need to talk about the “International Stabilization Force”: Canada and others say they’ll support a military intervention to ‘enforce peace’ and protect civilians in Gaza
As the first stage of the peace plan for Gaza takes shape amidst reported breaches of the fragile agreement between Hamas and Israel, a critical question remains: will military forces be used to secure Gaza? While Canada announced its recognition … Continue reading →
Canada and allies recognize Palestine: what does it mean, what does it change, and will real action to end atrocities and annexation follow?
Amidst the atrocities, annexation efforts, and ignored warnings to stop both, it became impossible to defend the status quo. So, on 21 September 2025, Canada joined 150 other states – including erstwhile Israeli allies, France and the UK – that … Continue reading →
Canada helped build the ICC. Now its silence is helping destroy it.
The response was swift, until it wasn’t. Reacting to U.S. sanctions against International Criminal Court (ICC) officials – including Canadian judge Kimberly Prost – Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae called the move “disgraceful”. He added that “attacks” on ICC staff “by … Continue reading →
