International law – The Bell Bookshop

A Barrister for the Earth

Emma — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

‘From her chambers in London, one of Britain’s most dazzling legal minds is taking on the challenge of a lifetime.’
VOGUE

‘Law could be our planet’s greatest hope. I was punching the air as I read this powerful, inspiring book.’
ISABELLA TREE

‘Fascinating and compelling . . . A vital book for our times.’
JULIAN HOFFMAN

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Can a planet have legal rights? Could it be defended in a court of law? How do we redefine a ‘right to life’?

A revolution is taking place. Around the world, ordinary people are turning to courts, seeking justice for environmental wrongs. At the forefront of this movement, pioneering barrister Monica Feria-Tinta advocates not only for people, but also for those who have no voice: for rivers, forests and endangered species.

In A Barrister for the Earth, Feria-Tinta takes us behind the scenes of ten real cases as she argues against the destruction of cloud forests and for sovereign states to account for inaction. Each of these are landmarks signalling that we are at an important juncture, in which the law can be a powerful tool for the lasting change.

The trial of Vladimir Putin

Emma — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

There have been dozens of books about the Russian President Vladimir Putin since he launched his illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Some have examined the historical aspects of the conflict, others have analysed its military and geopolitical importance. However, none so far have looked purely at the legal consequences of that disastrous action. This remarkable survey by one of our most celebrated human rights lawyers examines how the war in effect destroys the purpose of the United Nations by exposing the fatal flaw in its 1945 Charter: all five permanent UN members have a veto on any Security Council action. Russia cannot be expelled from the General Assembly for breaching the Charter without a Security Council recommendation, which Russia itself can veto! Geoffrey Robertson looks at the difficulties of bringing Putin to trial and why the popular campaign for a court to try him in absentia would not work; gives an explanation of the International Criminal Court charges he already faces; and surmises that any future peace agreement would include an amnesty for Putin (though, that amnesty would not be valid in international law).Putin is plainly guilty of the crime of aggression. But, asks Robertson, does the Bush doctrine of ‘pre-emptive self-defence’, developed to justify his invasion of Iraq, provide Putin with an opt-out? And could the ‘tu quoque’ defence (‘I did it, but you did it first’) be raised at Putin’s trial, as it was for Admiral Dönitz at Nuremberg?This brilliant deep-dive into international law offers a unique perspective on an unjust war that has cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and threatens to overturn the accepted world order, through the lens of its key protagonist.

The last colony

Emma — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

FROM THE WINNER OF THE BAILIE GIFFORD PRIZE

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘Should be read by anyone who cares about justice, humanity and human rights’ Elif Shafak
‘An essential account’ Sunday Times
‘Powerful and persuasive . . . superb’ Abdulrazak Gurnah
‘An urgent reminder that Britain’s colonial rule isn’t our past. It’s our present’ New Statesman
‘An important [book]’ Observer
‘Elegant, moving and profoundly informative’ The Scotsman

Through one woman’s fight for justice, the award-winning author of East West Street exposes the shocking events that marked the 1965 establishment of the British Indian Ocean Territory. Written with Sands’ characteristic expertise, insight and thrilling storytelling, The Last Colony lays bare the brutal legacy of colonial rule, the devastating impact of Britain’s grip on its last colony in Africa and the ongoing struggle to right a historic wrong.

The Last Colony

Emma — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER

After the Second World War, new international rules heralded an age of human rights and self-determination. Supported by Britain, these unprecedented changes sought to end the scourge of colonialism. But how committed was Britain?

In the 1960s, its colonial instinct ignited once more: a secret decision was taken to offer the US a base at Diego Garcia, one of the islands of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, create a new colony (the ‘British Indian Ocean Territory’) and deport the entire local population. One of those inhabitants was Liseby Elysé, twenty years old, newly married, expecting her first child. One suitcase, no pets, the British ordered, expelling her from the only home she had ever known.

For four decades the government of Mauritius fought for the return of Chagos, and the past decade Philippe Sands has been intimately involved in the cases. In 2018 Chagos and colonialism finally reached the World Court in The Hague. As Mauritius and the entire African continent challenged British and American lawlessness, fourteen international judges faced a landmark decision: would they rule that Britain illegally detached Chagos from Mauritius? Would they open the door to Liseby Elysé and her fellow Chagossians returning home – or exile them forever?

Taking us on a disturbing journey across international law, THE LAST COLONY illuminates the continuing horrors of colonial rule, the devastating impact of Britain’s racist grip on its last colony in Africa, and the struggle for justice in the face of a crime against humanity. It is a tale about the making of modern international law and one woman’s fight for justice, a courtroom drama and a personal journey that ends with a historic ruling.