The WTO’s Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and China’s Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing Practices

By ilrdigit | April 15, 2026 |

Written by Maria Cahalane  Introduction Illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing poses a significant threat to global food security and marine sustainability, and also serves as the leading global maritime security threat. Global demand for seafood has more than doubled since the 1960s, with the demand outpacing the supply of what can be sustainably caught.…

Unfriending Freedom: Gen Z’s Fight for Protecting Freedom of Expression from State Control in Nepal

By ilrdigit | April 15, 2026 |

Written by Alise Chavis Introduction On September 4, 2025 the Nepalese government enacted the 2025 Social Media Ban (“2025 Ban”), which required companies licensed in Nepal to accede to restrictive practices and greater government oversight in order to operate. In order to obtain a license in Nepal, social media platforms must consent to significant governmental…

The Price of Entry: the European Union Leverages Access to its Internal Market to Enforce Forced Labour Laws

By ilrdigit | April 7, 2026 |

Written by Hana Arslanagic  Introduction In November 2024, the European Union adopted Regulation (EU) 2024/3015, which prohibits products made with forced labour from being placed on the EU market or exported. The regulation applies to goods produced within and outside the EU and extends to forced labour occurring at any stage of production. Because Regulation…

Drug Decriminalization: Portugal’s Compliance with the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs

By ilrdigit | April 5, 2026 |

Written by Angelica Warsaw  Introduction After decriminalizing personal drug use and possession under Law 30/2000, Portugal is a representative for policy implementation to curb the transmission of infectious diseases through intravenous injection and mitigate the harms of substance use. Despite its success, questions arise about obligations under the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs…

Where the Light Don’t Shine: Missing Opportunity in the Application of the Upcoming Crimes Against Humanity Treaty

By ilrdigit | March 22, 2026 |

Written by Oscar Cheng Special thanks to Professor Lena Raxter for providing invaluable comments and guidance in the development of this article. Introduction After several years of advocacy, a U.N. treaty on crimes against humanity is finally coming to fruition. Unlike other international crimes, there has not been a specific treaty focusing on crimes against humanity.…

Absolute Immunity or Absolute Resolve? How Maduro’s Capture and Indictment Challenges Head of State Immunity

By ilrdigit | March 18, 2026 |

Written by Ryan Meister   Introduction On January 3, 2026, American special forces conducted Operation Absolute Resolve. The United States launched a military strike in Caracas, Venezuela, where Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured. Maduro and his wife were transported to New York City, where they now face narco-terrorism and drug trafficking…

Unequal Protection: Analyzing Australia’s Limitations on the Natural Justice Requirement for Non-Citizens

By ilrdigit | February 25, 2026 |

Written by Julia Potts Introduction In September 2025, Australian Parliament passed the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment, an amendment to the Migration Act of 1958. This legislation limits the natural justice requirement, the mandate of legal procedural fairness in Australia. It requires that a person facing government decision to have an opportunity to challenge it, be heard…

Whether the United States under Section 230 Does Enough to Comply with International Human Trafficking Laws by Combatting Deceptive “Fraud Factory” Recruitment Online

By ilrdigit | February 25, 2026 |

Written by Sophia Reinoso  Introduction While online financial scams impact societies worldwide, few people know that the perpetrators themselves are often victims of scams. The Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) that operate online financial scams frequently do so through forced labor, recruiting victims on job-seeking websites through fraudulent posts for white-collar jobs. Once victims relocate for…

Reclassifying Contamination: The Basel Convention’s Plastic Amendments and Indonesia’s Response to Illegal Imports

By ilrdigit | February 25, 2026 |

Written by Paige Buckley Introduction Over the last fifty years, wealthy industrialized countries have generated massive amounts of plastic waste and exported it abroad to avoid domestic costs of handling it at the expense of less developed countries. This issue is primarily governed by the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous…

Recent U.S. Attacks on Alleged Drug Boats & the U.N. Charter: Law Enforcement or Warfare

By ilrdigit | February 1, 2026 |

Written by J’da Tyler *This blog post does not account for the recent escalation between the United States and Venezuela following Operation Absolute Resolve. Introduction Beginning in September 2025, the United States has carried out 20 airstrikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean, killing 80 people. The Trump administration…