The Italy-Albania Protocol: Italy’s Externalization of Border Control in the Mediterranean Prompts Human Rights Concerns

By ilrdigit | July 20, 2025 |

Written by Ashley Rooney Introduction Italy has the largest recorded population of voluntary emigrants in modern history, with 13 million people leaving the country between 1880 and 1915 alone. However, in the 1970s, Italy experienced a shift from its status as an emigrant country to an immigrant country when large numbers of people relocated to…

Balancing National Security and Human Rights—How U.S. Refugee Policy Evolves and Interacts with International Laws

By ilrdigit | July 20, 2025 |

Written by Martin Ma Since 1950s, there has been a surge in the immigration population to the United States despite some fluctuations. Among this surging immigration population, there are large numbers of refugees coming from other parts of the world. The U.S. accommodates refugees out of humanitarian concerns. However, refugees affect the U.S. from the…

Alone Among Democracies: America’s Return to Capital Punishment

By ilrdigit | July 9, 2025 |

Written by Julie Gobble On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that drastically reshaped the nation’s approach to capital punishment. The directive reverses Biden-era policies, expanding the federal government’s role in executions and mandating that it pursue capital punishment in all cases deemed severe enough to warrant it. It highlights explicitly…

Greenwashing in Fashion: Can International Law Stop Deceptive Sustainability Claims?

By ilrdigit | June 30, 2025 |

Written by Erin Soro  The fashion industry has long been under scrutiny for its environmental impact. In recent years, brands have increasingly marketed themselves as “sustainable” or “carbon neutral.” Many of these claims constitute greenwashing—exaggerating or fabricating sustainability efforts to attract environmentally conscious consumers. Fashion brands have never been environmental darlings, but their use of carbon…

Fujimori’s Influence from Beyond the Grave: How Peru’s New Impunity Law Could Impede Justice for Crimes Against Humanity Victims

By ilrdigit | June 25, 2025 |

Written by Taylor Potenziano On August 7, 2024, Peru enacted Law 32107, more commonly known as the “impunity law.” The law establishes that no one can be prosecuted or sentenced for war crimes or crimes against humanity committed before July 1, 2002. The Popular Force party, led by Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of Peru’s notorious…

No More Chains: A Proposed Solution to End Sex and Labor Trafficking in Libya Through the Intervention of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council

By ilrdigit | June 14, 2025 |

Written by Bolu Jegede   Introduction For the ninth year in a row, Libya remains a special case in the U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report, underscoring its persistent struggles with human trafficking and lawlessness amid ongoing instability. Libya ranks as one of the worst places for trafficking in the world, although the number…

The Hellenic Republic’s Legitimate Claim to the Parthenon Marbles and the International Law of Cultural Property

By ilrdigit | April 15, 2025 |

Written by Dimitrios Kostaras               The illicit procurement of the Parthenon Marbles and the demand for their repatriation have remained a diplomatic strain between Britain and Greece for two centuries. In the early 19th century, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, the 7th Lord Elgin, Thomas Bruce, forcefully…

Gender Persecution: The ICC’s Landmark Judgment Against Al Hassan and its Global Implications

By ilrdigit | April 7, 2025 |

Written by Lauren Thompson   Introduction The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) judgment against the former chief of the Timbuktu Islamic Police highlights systematic violence against women and girls and stands as a pivotal moment in the fight for justice. This landmark case emphasizes the importance of recognizing gender-based violence as a crime against humanity and highlights…

Courts or Compromise? Resolving the Nile River Dispute Under International Law

By ilrdigit | March 24, 2025 |

Written by Nathan Yost   Introduction In March 2011, Ethiopia announced the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a massive hydropower project on the Blue Nile. Designed with a height of 145 meters and a storage capacity of 74 billion cubic meters, GERD will be Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam and is central to…

Self-Determination, Economics & Migration: The Ongoing Battle Between the Western Sahara, Morocco, and EU

By ilrdigit | March 19, 2025 |

Written by Ithar M. Hassan   Introduction On October 4, 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) handed down a defeat for the European Commission (the Commission) by quashing the Commission’s recent trade deals with Morocco for disregarding the rights of the Sahrawi people. During a trip to Rabat, French President Emmanuel…