Outline Chambers Briefings | International Legal News

18 May 2026 Each week, Outline Chambers provides a concise overview of key developments across international law, arbitration and global governance.

This week’s briefing covers developments relating to sanctions, investment arbitration, international criminal law and the European human rights framework, highlighting the continued interaction between legal institutions, geopolitical developments and evolving international norms.

15 May 2026

Sanctions: US Federal Judge blocks sanctions against UN expert on Palestine

It has been reported that the US District Judge, Richard Leon, has temporarily blocked US sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Preliminary findings were made that the incumbent US administration likely violated Albanese’s right to free speech by imposing sanctions against her. The 26-page decision also discusses the applicability of the first amendment of the US Constitution to Albanese.

The sanctions were imposed against Albanese, an Italian lawyer, in July 2025, following statements made in respect to conduct that has allegedly taken place in Gaza, including calls for ICC war crimes prosecution.

For more on this story, see here.

To read the judgment, see here.

14 May 2026

Arbitration: Turkey told to pay for anti-Gülenist measures

It has been reported that an ICSID tribunal has ordered Turkey to pay nearly $500 million USD to affiliates of a gas conglomerate that was targeted by the state following a failed “Gülenist” coup. It is further reported by GAR that one of the arbitrators has dissented from the majority ruling, on the basis that their tribunal colleagues had upheld an abuse of process and exceeded their powers.

For more on this story, see here (paywalled).

13 May 2026

Blog Corner: “The Hormuz Effect: War, Sanctions and the Convergence of Risks in Energy Arbitration”

Outline Chambers continues to provide a selection of legal academic contributions to areas of international law in its weekly blog corner section.

This week, Garima Shankhar for Opinio Juris, considers what the long-term practical impact that geo-political fallout will likely have on contractual agreements in the international energy market. Her analysis extends to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has resulted in asset freezes and sanctions that have come into conflict with EU public policy review, as well as the ongoing development in Hormuz which have implication for declarations of Force Majeure on associated arbitral proceedings.

A piece that will be of interest to specialists in arbitration and the energy section.

To read this article, see here.

12 May 2026

European Convention: European Ministers to discuss use of third-country hubs for rejected asylum applications

It has been reported that functionaries of the Council of Europe met in Moldova on Friday to discuss plans to send thousands of rejected asylum seekers to third-country hubs.

Alain Berset, secretary general of the Council of Europe, has been reported as indicating that talks at the “multilateral level” would take place to address irregular routes into Europe. The meeting coalesces with recent calls by some, including the incumbent UK home secretary, Shabana Mahmood for changes into the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights (“ECHR”) to enable member states to remove failed applicants.

The discussions come after the UK’s previous administration under Rishi Sunak spent a reported £715m GBP on an agreement with Rwanda for similar purposes, although that policy was held by the UK Supreme Court to be unlawful on the basis that Rwanda was not a safe country.

Readers of Outline Chambers’s International News will know that Rwanda has launched arbitral proceedings against the UK with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (“PCA”) after alleging that the UK has breached terms of the 2022 Rwanda agreement.

For more on this story, see here.

For more about Rwanda’s arbitral proceedings, see here.

11 May 2026

International Criminal Law: ICC judges unseal arrest warrant for crimes against humanity in the Philippines

It has been reported that the Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (“ICC”) has unsealed an arrest warrant for Ronald Marapon Dela Rosa, which was initially issued in secret on 6 November 2025.

Mr Dela Rosa, a Philippino national, is alleged to have committed crimes against humanity between 2016 and 2018 in which time it is said at least 32 people were killed in the Republic of the Philippines. It was found by the presiding judges that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Dela Rosa is allegedly criminally responsible as an indirect co-perpetrator for murder.

Readers will already be familiar with ongoing proceedings in the ICC in respect to the former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte.

For more on this story, see here and here.