Author: Mirjam Reiter

Published: 02 February 2021 Author: Mirjam Reiter

As a consequence of growing nationalist and populist tendencies in several countries in recent years, Germany identified a “worldwide crisis of multilateralism”. To counter this development, in the summer of 2018 Germany’s Federal Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, held talks with his counterparts in several countries, including Canada, France and Japan, on what could be done to prevent the disintegration of the international order. This gave rise to the idea of “an alliance for multilateralism” – a network of partner countries who stand up together for the preservation and further development of the rules-based order and who defend multilateralism. Foreign Minister Maas defined multilateralism as follows: (more…)

Published: 08 October 2020 Authors: Mirjam Reiter

On 23 April 2019, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia executed 37 people on grounds of terrorism. In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of the Interior reiterated that it was “resolutely and firmly continuing to seek justice through carrying out the rules of the sacred Sharia, on anyone who may crosses [sic] the set limits of Allah” and warned “against anyone whose self may rationalize to him committing such terrorist and criminal acts, that the Sharia prescribed punishments shall be imposed upon him/her.” Two of the executed persons’ bodies were publicly hung from a pole for several hours. Of the 37 persons executed, at least three were minors at the time of their sentencing. (more…)

Published: 23 July 2020 Authors: Mirjam Reiter and Stefan Talmon

Dr. Moncef Kartas, a Tunisian-German dual national, had been a member and arms expert of the United Nations Panel of Experts on Libya since May 2016. The Panel had been established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1973 (2011) to investigate allegations of violations of the arms embargo and other sanctions imposed on Libya. On 26 March 2019, shortly before the Panel was to submit an interim report to the Security Council, Dr. Kartas was arrested on espionage charges upon arrival in Tunis. He was accused of gathering intelligence information concerning national security through interference, interception and audio surveillance and disclosing that information to foreign governments. It was argued, in particular, that he possessed special radio devices used to track civil and military aviation, the use of which required official authorisation in Tunisia. (more…)