Iraq Invasion 22 years on – Reflections, realities and hopes for the future
Join us for a powerful discussion marking 22 years since the Iraq War, featuring Meethak Al-Khatib in person at SOAS.
Alannah Travers
I'm a British-German journalist focused on Iraq, interested in politics, personal stories and the human impact of a heating climate.
Iraq’s 2024 Personal Status Law Amendment debate: The challenges and adaptability of Islamic legal theory
From Babylon’s pioneering Hammurabi Code to Baghdad’s bustling Islamic jurisprudence at the very heart of the Abbasid Empire, codes of honour and legal regulations have been present in Iraq for thousands of years. Over the previous century, these have included the imposed British ‘Occupied Territories Code’ of 1915, and heavily US-influenced 2005 Constitution, following invasion and occupation between 1914 and 2003.
Quick thoughts on Sudan's ICJ Genocide application
Who is seeking justice? What role does international law play in an ongoing war? How can the ICJ avoid becoming yet another arena for geopolitical contestation?
Satisfaction, guarantees of non-recurrence and transformative reparation for torture - Handout
Available to download directly here!
International Law on the Use of Force – podcast
Focusing on the UN Security Council’s failure to authorise or prevent force against Iraq in 2003, this podcast looks at the UNSC's role, decision-making process, and the effectiveness of its resolutions. Its structured legal analysis offers an insight into how the law on the use of force continues to evolve in a world where state power often overrides legal norms.
Addressing civilian harm in UK overseas military operations: The role of international law in shaping accountability and reparations
In this essay, the role of international law in shaping such accountability and reparations for civilian harm as a result of UK overseas military operations will be assessed, considering particularly the UK military’s investigations and absence of a formalised civilian harm compensation scheme for victims, as well as the positions of relevant actors, including the UK government and MoD, civil society organisations, human rights bodies, and domestic and regional courts – in cases such as Al-Skeini and Al-Saadoon.
Hackney Half Marathon for MSF! 🎽🌟
I am taking part in the Hackney Half Marathon 2025 to raise funds for the amazing Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders (MSF); a small contribution towards their life-saving work across the world, and especially in the Middle East where there is still such desperate need.
ICSR and XCEPT - December 2024
In this panel event to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Yezidi genocide, Dr Inna Rudolf, Mirza Dinnayi, Alannah Travers, and Sarah Sanbar reflect on the challenges still facing the Yezidi community today. They explore the failures of the national and international communities to deliver justice, the barriers stopping many Yezidis from returning home, and the legacy of discrimination that precedes the atrocities committed by Islamic State in 2014.
The Status of Soldiers and Terrorists under the Geneva Conventions
International Humanitarian Law Reaction Paper
The UK-Iraq border deal is a betrayal of vulnerable communities
Guest post by Alannah Travers and Sana Murrani. Previously based in Iraq where she worked with displaced communities and Genocide survivors, Alannah is currently completing an LLM in Human Rights, Conflict and Justice, at SOAS University, focused on IHL and the use of force, Islamic Law, prohibition of torture, and International Human Rights protection.
Journal of Global Faultlines | JSTOR
The Journal of Global Faultlines attempts to cover the evolving current world situation by looking at global problems from a variety of different and overlapping perspectives: economic, political, philosophical, cultural, educational, geographical, social, and historical, among many others.
Body Count: The War on Terror and Civilian Deaths in Iraq
Book Review: Dr Lily Hamourtziadou's Body Count is both a work of immense scholarly value, and a tribute to the individuals who have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of conflict in Iraq. https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/body-count
As UNITAD is now over: Charting the path toward justice in Iraq
The closure of UNITAD on 17 September 2024 represents a turning point in efforts to achieve justice for the atrocities committed by ISIL. The article argues for the necessity of comprehensive legal reforms and a survivor-centered approach to justice.
The Right to Humanitarian Assistance
A mapping of international law on the right to humanitarian assistance, focused on: International Humanitarian Law (IHL), International Criminal Law, International Human Rights Law - and the legal discourse around humanitarian assistance.
Islamic Legal Theory
An essential part of usul-al-fiqh (Islamic legal theory) - the classifications of Qur'anic verses! These classifications have shaped how scholars understand which verses are clear and decisive, which ones might be allegorical with different layers of understanding, and which were revealed over time to provide practical guidance. Understanding the classifications of Qur'anic verses is essential because they directly impact the application of Islamic law, moral guidelines, and community practices.
انتقال الأمم المتحدة من المساعدات الطارئة إلى تمويل التنمية في العراق. سياسة تقديم المساعدة في بلد يعاني من نزاع ما بعد الصراع المطول
مركُز البيان للدراسات والتخطيط مركز مستقلٌّ، غيرُ ربح ٍّي، مقُّره الرئيس في بغداد، مهمته الرئيسة -فضلاً عن قضايا أخرى- تقديم وجهة نظر ذات مصداقية حول قضايا السياسات العامة والخارجية التي تخّصالعراقبنحوخاٍص،ومنطقةالشرقالأوسطبنحوعام.ويسعىالمركزإلىإجراءتحليٍلمستقٍّل، وإيجاد حلول عمليَّة جليَّة لقضايا معقدة تهُّم الحقلْي السياسي والأكاديمي.
انتقال الأمم المتحدة من المساعدات الطارئة إلى تمويل التنمية في العراق
ألانا ترافرز: صحفية ومستشارة بريطانية-ألمانية مقيمة في العراق بين عامي 2021 و2023.
10 years on from the Yezidi genocide
On 11th December, Dr Inna Rudolf, Mirza Dinnayi, Sarah Sanbar and myself will be speaking at King's College London on the situation for the Yazidi community (and other minorities). I will cover the UNITAD mess more candidly, as well as the struggles with and among NGOs working on justice and accountability issues in Iraq. Also online!
Iraq: People held in Al-Jed’ah Centre subjected to torture and enforced disappearance after arrests – new investigation
Important Amnesty investigation into how Iraqis are being subjected to torture and other ill-treatment as well as enforced disappearance after being arrested in the Jeddah Rehabilitation Centre in northern Iraq (run by the MoMD with the support of several other Iraqi ministries, the UN – including IOM, UNICEF, UNHCR, UNFPA, WHO and WFP – and others), also touching on the false accusations and wrongful arrests that Iraqis already know are all too common, and tearing families apart still.
'Ruptured Atlas': Creative Mapping of Yazidi Odyssey of Home, Displacement, Migration and Return
The symposium will showcase the findings of Dr Sana Murrani's latest project on Yazidi displacement, fostering collaborative discussions among academics and practitioners to improve policymaking concerning displacement and settlement in Iraq, as well as migration in the UK for Yazidis.
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