State officials lie all the time. Authoritarian states are almost by definition systematically deceiving their own populations, attempting (and often succeeding) in devaluing the whole idea of truth. They do so using both traditional media (e.g. state-controlled TV and radio stations) and the tools of the digital age. Lies are the foundation of authoritarian control. Indeed, lies are inextricably linked to other, ostensibly more serious types of state misconduct, including violence. To quote Solzhenitsyn: To prop itself up, to appear decent, [violence] will without fail call forth its ally—Lies. For violence has nothing to cover itself with but lies, and lies can only persist through violence. And it is not every day and not on every shoulder that violence brings down its heavy hand: It demands of us only a submission to lies, a daily participation in deceit—and this suffices as our fealty. It is not only dictatorships that lie – democracies do so too. Inveterate liars can be elected to high office, despite – or maybe because of…
Human Rights
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Combatting Slavery at Sea and IUU Fishing: The WCPFC Adopts Labor Standards for Fishing Crew
Introduction The staggering scale of modern slavery — slavery, servitude, and debt bondage —inhumane treatment, and human trafficking has been well documented. In 2022, the International Labor Organization estimated that roughly 28 million people victims of “forced labour” — labour coerced under threat — with 128,000 people trapped in force labor on fishing vessels around…
Renewed State Backlash Against the African Court: Tunisia is the Fifth State to Withdraw Individual and NGO Access
The African Union’s continental human rights court, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR), received a setback this past March when Tunisia withdrew its declaration, under Article 34(6) of the Court’s founding Protocol, allowing individuals and NGOs to directly access the Court. Tunisia accounts for 24 (7%) of the 371 applications to the…
Africa’s Turn: The African Court’s Advisory Opinion on Climate Change
On 2 May 2025, the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR, the Court) received a request for an advisory opinion concerning the obligations of states in the context of climate change. This development was anticipated: as early as 2023, there were indications such a request was in preparation (at 54:30) and, that same year, the…
From Extraterritorial Obligations to Aggravated Responsibility: How Regional Human Rights Courts Could Shape the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change
In March 2023, the United Nations General Assembly requested an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on states’ responsibilities under international law to protect the climate system for current and future generations. The Court’s Opinion is expected to clarify the content and scope of human rights obligations and their implications for state…