Senior Lecturer in Law @ehu_lcp @edgehill. International Law Researcher @UKParliament @commonslibrary Author: https://xitter.gq/t.co/xvCwGGbyQ2
Liverpool, UK
Joined January 2010
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Patrick Butchard retweeted
New research briefing for the House of Commons Library: International law and the Chagos Archipelago.
Re-capping the main legal issues that led to the UK-Mauritius Treaty, and where it stands now.
commonslibrary.parliament.uk…
Patrick Butchard retweeted
Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Martin Kimani of Kenya as the new Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO).
🔗 un.org/sg/en/content/sg/pers…
Patrick Butchard retweeted
It's out! @CrisisGroup's big annual briefing on the state of the #UnitedNations is here.
Congrats to @FortiD for pulling it together this year.
crisisgroup.org/sbr/global/s…
Patrick Butchard retweeted
Just published @commonslibrary - background on the UK's operations to seize the shadow fleet, including details on the domestic sanctions, enforcement powers, and international laws that might apply
commonslibrary.parliament.uk…
Patrick Butchard retweeted
Diplomats say that, at #France's request, the #UNSC will hold closed consultations at 3 pm today regarding #Bahrain's #Hormuz Strait draft resolution.
Update: Diplomatic sources are telling me Russia, China and France (separately) have broken silence on the Bahrain draft. Despite removal of Chapter 7 language they are still citing ongoing concerns and want Bahrain to work with council members to reach an amicable solution.
France on the other hand wants emphasis on freedom of navigation.
Patrick Butchard retweeted
Israel's letter of the same date also seeks to justify combat operations taken in cooperation with US, but whereas US letter explicitly invokes Article 51, Israel speaks more generally of its "right and duty to defend itself and its citizens" without specific citation of Art.51.
Patrick Butchard retweeted
The agenda used by the Security Council solely for considering Iran's nuclear programme - "Non-proliferation" - was just adopted at the meeting by a vote of 11 in favour, China & Russia voting against, and Pakistan & Somalia abstaining.
Patrick Butchard retweeted
Tomorrow morning (12 March), the #UNSC is scheduled to hold a briefing on the work of the 1737 Sanctions Committee concerning Iran.
◻ No briefer is expected
→ Read more: bit.ly/3NaHYNh
Patrick Butchard retweeted
The Russian draft resolution on military escalation in Middle East below just failed to receive the necessary votes to be adopted in the #UNSC. It received:
- Four votes in favor (Russia, China, Somalia & Pakistan)
- Two votes against (USA & Latvia)
- Nine abstentions (UK, France, Bahrain, Colombia, DRC, Denmark, Greece, Liberia & Panama)
Patrick Butchard retweeted
Here are instances, since 1990, when more than one draft resolution on the same matter has been put to a vote in the Security Council during the same timeframe ⬇️
Patrick Butchard retweeted
The #UNSC just adopted the #UNSC resolution condemning #Iran's attacks on neighboring countries. The resolution drafted by the #GCC received 13 votes in favor, with #Russia and #China abstaining. It received an astoundingly high number of co-sponsorships (135 according to #Bahrain's #UNSC ambassador). If I'm not mistaken, I believe that's a record for a #UNSC resolution. A quick google indicates that the previous record was 134 co-sponsorships for Resolution 2177 (2014) on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
The #GCC draft #UNSC resolution condemning #Iran's attacks on Gulf countries is now in blue, in preparation for a vote tomorrow afternoon (March 11). It looks like a very high number of #UN member states will co-sponsor the text (about 86 so far). This could potentially impact #Russia's calculus on whether or not to veto and put their own draft to a vote.
Patrick Butchard retweeted
A point of clarification on the Chagos legal issues (being completely independent and impartial).
Article 298 of UNCLOS does allow states to exclude "military activities" and other specific law enforcement at sea from dispute settlement. But what does that mean...?
Patrick Butchard retweeted
Reports suggest the UN will be rivalled by a "Board of Peace". But it's important to consider what this all means.
The UN, and the UN Charter, are referenced and reinforced by thousands, if not tens of thousands, of multilateral and bilateral treaties between states.
So...
Patrick Butchard retweeted
Tracking State reactions to the US strikes in Venezuela and its abduction of the Venezuelan President 🧵
Patrick Butchard retweeted
New Commons Library Research Briefing:
Peace deals, territorial changes, and international law
Negotiations over the war in Ukraine are facing challenges over the fate of Ukraine's territory. This briefing explains the law behind this.
commonslibrary.parliament.uk…
Patrick Butchard retweeted
Whatever Russia wants in a peace deal with Ukraine, a sticking point likely will be over trying to transfer Ukraine's territory. It's not just about whether Ukraine agrees, but what that means for the law and for states who don't want any state's territory to be taken by force 👇🏻
One key issue that's not being discussed, and is maybe a bigger "elephant in the room" for Ukraine peace talks, is the international legal duty not to recognise the capture of territory by force. This is key for many reasons...🧵
edition.cnn.com/2025/03/22/e…
Patrick Butchard retweeted
Book launch: International Law after the Ukraine War.
Open Access collection from Edge Hill University & Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University.
📅 Tues 4 Nov 2025 🕚 11am - 12:30pm 📍 Free Event (Online & In-person)
Register: events.teams.microsoft.com/e…
Patrick Butchard retweeted
Just published: my latest House of Commons Library Briefing Paper on the UK Sanctions Framework.
This paper explains the current operation of sanctions in the UK, and is meant as a resource for navigating a complicated framework of legislation.
commonslibrary.parliament.uk…