War WATCH: Episode 5 - Iran: No Ceasefire for Civilians

War WATCH: Episode 5 - Iran: No Ceasefire for Civilians

In the fifth episode of the War Watch podcast, a series from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, a joint centre of the University of Geneva and the Geneva Graduate Institute, Shima Esmailian, PhD candidate at the University of Geneva and consultant and adviser on gender and international law with civil society organizations working on transitional justice in Iran, and Stuart Casey-Maslen, Senior Researcher and Head of Scientific Projects at the Geneva Academy of IHL and Human Rights, examine what the Iran conflict has meant for ordinary Iranians — caught between a government that massacred its own protesters, external strikes by the United States and Israel, and an aftermath in which repression has only intensified. The episode covers the January 2026 crackdown, strikes on universities and water infrastructure, and a ceasefire that has brought no peace — with executions continuing and international scrutiny fading. Iran is one of the conflicts tracked on the War Watch portal, where you can find the full legal analysis and documented violations. Find out more at: War Watch portal – Iran: warwatch.ch Geneva Academy of IHL and Human Rights: geneva-academy.ch UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran: ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-iran ICRC – Protection of civilian objects: icrc.org ICCPR – International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: ohchr.org

War WATCH: Episode 4 - Haiti: Crossing the Threshold

In the fourth episode of the War Watch podcast, a six-episode series from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, a joint centre of the University of Geneva and the Geneva Graduate Institute, host Juliette Graf meets Diego Da Rin, Haiti specialist with the International Crisis Group, and Stuart Casey-Maslen, Special Adviser to the Geneva Academy's IHL in Focus project. Haiti's crisis has been years in the making. But in February 2024, something shifted. Two rival gang coalitions merged into a single alliance - Viv Ansanm - and launched coordinated attacks that brought Port-au-Prince to a standstill and toppled the government. The Geneva Academy formally classified Haiti as a non-international armed conflict: the violence was too organised, too sustained, and too deadly to be treated as anything else. Diego Da Rin explains how Haiti's gangs got here and what their territorial control looks like on the ground. Stuart Casey-Maslen unpacks what the classification actually changes: for accountability, for the Gang Suppression Force now deploying, and for the civilians caught in the middle. The episode also walks through what the War Watch project documented between 2024 and 2025: hospitals attacked, schools burned, mass killings, and sexual violence used deliberately and systematically. Haiti is one of the conflicts we track on the War Watch portal, where you can find the full legal analysis and documented violations. Find out more at: War Watch portal – Haiti: warwatch.ch/situations/non-international-armed-conflict-in-haiti Geneva Academy of IHL and Human Rights: geneva-academy.ch ICG report - Undoing Haiti's Deadly Gang Alliance (December 2025): https://www.crisisgroup.org/sites/default/files/2025-12/110-haiti-deadly-gang-alliance%20%281%29.pdf OHCHR - Human rights situation in Haiti: ohchr.org/en/countries/haiti UNICEF - Children in Haiti: unicef.org/lac UN Security Council Resolution 2793 (2025): docs.un.org/en/S/RES/2793(2025) Human Rights Watch – Drone strikes in Haiti (March 2026): hrw.org/news/2026/03/10/haiti-drone-strikes-put-residents-at-risk

War WATCH: Episode 3 - Syria: The Search for Accountability After Assad

In the third episode of the War Watch podcast, a six-episode series from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, a joint centre of the University of Geneva and the Geneva Graduate Institute, host Juliette Graf meets Mohammad Al Abdallah, Executive Director of the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), who discusses Syria's dual accountability crisis one year after Assad's fall. Despite regime change, violations continue. They are joined by Stuart Casey-Maslen, Special Adviser to the Geneva Academy's IHL in Focus project, who explains Syria's legal obligations under international humanitarian law and what tools exist to achieve accountability. Syria is one of the conflicts featured on the War Watch portal, where you can track international humanitarian law violations and explore the conflict's classification. Find out more at: https://www.geneva-academy.ch/ War Watch portal - Syria entry : https://warwatch.ch/situations/armed-conflicts-in-syria/ Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC): https://syriaaccountability.org/

War WATCH Episode 2 - Mozambique: A War of Neglect and Impunity

In the second episode of the War Watch podcast, a six-episode series from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, a joint centre of the University of Geneva and the Geneva Graduate Institute, host Juliette Graf meets Joshua Niyo from the IHL Centre, who has just returned from Cabo Delgado, to discuss what the Norwegian Refugee Council calls one of the world's most neglected displacement crises. They are joined by Stuart Casey-Maslen, Special Adviser to the Geneva Academy's IHL in Focus project who will help unpack the law and its limits in every episode. Find out more at: https://www.geneva-academy.ch/ War Watch: https://geneva-academy.ch/projects/war-watch/ IHL Centre: https://www.ihlcentre.org/ Norwegian Refugee Council - Mozambique: https://www.nrc.no/countries/africa/mozambique/ OCHA Mozambique: https://www.unocha.org/mozambique Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) - Mozambique: https://www.msf.org/mozambique Call for High Commissioner investigation into 2021 Palma events: https://www.amisdelaterre.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/investigation-call-to-ohchr-on-mozambique-without-names-1.pdf Politico investigation into TotalEnergies: https://www.politico.eu/article/totalenergies-mozambique-patrick-pouyanne-atrocites-afungi-palma-cabo-delgado-al-shabab-isis/

War Watch: Episode 1 - Sudan: A War of Atrocities

In the first episode of the War Watch podcast, a six-episode series from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, a joint centre of the University of Geneva and the Geneva Graduate Institute, host Juliette Graf meets Mona Rishmawi, member of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, to discuss what the United Nations calls the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. They are joined by Stuart Casey-Maslen, Special Adviser to the Geneva Academy’s IHL in Focus project who will help unpack the law and its limits in every episode. Find out more at: https://www.geneva-academy.ch/ IHL in Focus Report on the Weaponization of Water in Sudan: https://www.geneva-academy.ch/news/detail/792-water-wars-how-sudan-s-conflict-weaponizes-a-basic-human-need Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/ffm-sudan/index