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…
EJIL Analysis
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The Indus Waters Treaty ‘in abeyance’: Legal implications of India’s unilateral water releases into Pakistan-Administered Kashmir
On April 27, 2025, an unexpected rise in water levels of the Jhelum river in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir [‘PAK’] caused flooding in the region, with residents struggling to ‘protect lives and property’. A week later, India again released water from dams in Indian-Administered Kashmir [‘IAK’] without notifying Pakistan that water levels in the Chenab river would rise…
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…
Two Weeks in Review, 5 – 18 May 2025
Environmental Law Malavika Rao discusses the Kafue River spill in Zambia and questions whether the current legal responses, focused on human rights and compensation, are sufficient to address the extensive environmental damage from mining. Like other African states, Rao highlights that Zambia's environmental laws primarily view environmental harm through a human-centered…
ECtHR grants interim measure concerning Serbia: Controversies in the possible use of sonic weapons against protesters
On 29 April 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR or the Court) granted part of the applicants’ requests to issue an interim measure in the case of Đorović and Others v. Serbia (App.no. 8904/25). The case involves the alleged use of a sonic weapon for crowd control by the authorities at demonstrations and…