By Anna Rubbi,  Guernica 37 Chambers
How do UK sanctions against Russia measure up against international law, and the principles of state sovereignty and non-intervention in? Has the UK sufficiently justified the imposition of unilateral sanctions by reference to international law? Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is undeniably an egregious breach of international law deserving condemnation and action from the international community, but international law should not be put to one side when its rules become an inconvenience.
Unilateral “sanctions”, usually of an economic nature, are measures taken by a State against another State to achieve a political objective. Recent unilateral sanctions from Western States have been particularly intrusive and hard-hitting, with the objective ...