Sanctions, International Law and the Impact on Rights

Date: Thursday, 6 June 2024

Time: 1400-1540

Venue: Khalili Lecture Theatre (SOAS, University of London)

1300-1400: Lunch in RB01 (SOAS, University of London)

1400-1410: Welcome by Prof. Emilia Onyema - Director, SADRC

1410-1540 Panel 1 - Unilateral Economic Sanctions: a global, political, and economic view (90min)
This panel will explore the question of how unilateral economic sanctions have become the predominant tool of managing difficult political relations. It will explore whether sanctions work from an economic or trade perspective; the differences in the approaches adopted by key countries around the world; the effect of sanctions on different countries; and a look ahead to whether sanctions will remain a predominant method of managing geopolitical relationships in the future. 

Speakers:

Dr. Rebecca Harding - Senior Fellow of the British Foreign Policy Group

Prof. Steve Tsang - Director, SOAS China Institute

Mr. Gourab Banerji - Senior Advocate of India, Essex Court Chambers

Dr. Ksenia Kirkham - Lecturer, Department of War Studies, King’s College, London

Dr. George Forji Amin - Lecturer in Law, University of Bolton

Dr Richard Connolly - Associate Fellow, The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies

Moderator – Ms. Lindsay Reimschussel, CMS

1540-1600 TEA BREAK (20min)

1600-1730 Panel 2 - Unilateral Economic Sanctions: a legal view (90min)

This panel will look at sanctions from the perspective of domestic and International law. It will discuss the differences in application between EU, UK, US, and UN sanctions. The panel will then dive deeper into specific aspects of law: whether sanctions are consistent with public international law; whether there are significant enough due process valves in sanctions and the position across the domestic sphere; the intersection between sanctions and bilateral investment treaties; and whether any challenges to sanctions can be successfully brought on an international plane. 

Speakers:
Mr. Thierry Marembert - Founding Partner, Kiejman & Marembert

Prof. Richard Sakwa - Emeritus Professor of Russian and European Politics, University of Kent

Dr. Anna Bradshaw - Partner, Peters & Peters

Prof. Antonio Tzanakopolous - Professor of Public International Law, University of Oxford

Ms. Anna Rubbi - Barrister, G37 Chambers

Mr. Baiju Vasani, Barrister, Twenty Essex, Senior Fellow, SOAS and SADRC Management Committee Member 

Moderator - Ms Marleen Krueger, Partner, Wilmer Hale

1730-1740 Closing Remarks by Steven Finizio, Partner, WilmerHale, Deputy Director, SADRC

1740: Drinks reception