Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons)
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niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons)
@niaolainf.bsky.social
3.6K followers 110 following 630 posts

Regents Law Professor, Minnesota Law + Professor QUB Law School (Belfast)+ Director MN HRC. ICJ. RIA. FBA. Former UN SR Counter-Terrorism & Human Rights (2017-23). Member of the UN Commission of Inquiry (Syria); Irish, Gaeilgeoir, Mom, Loves Yoga & Hiking. .. more

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Fionnuala Ní Aoláin is an Irish academic lawyer specialising in human rights law. She was the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism for the United Nations Human Rights Council from August 1, 2017 - November 2023. .. more

Political science 67%
Sociology 15%
Posts Replies Media Videos

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 5h
“UK confirms Russia poisoned Navalny in prison with rare toxin.”

www.gov.uk/government/n...
UK confirms Russia poisoned Navalny in prison with rare toxin
UK and partners are today exposing the tragic circumstances surrounding Alexei Navalny's death and have confirmed there was poison found in samples from his body.
www.gov.uk

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 5h
“Iraq has a documented record of convicting and executing terrorism suspects based on confessions extracted through torture, although Iraqi officials have denied such abuse.”

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/o...
Opinion | ISIS Was Cruel. That Doesn’t Excuse the Abuse of Its Alleged Members.
www.nytimes.com

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 1d
Classic overreach.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/w...
In Blow to Starmer, U.K. Ban on Pro-Palestinian Group Is Ruled Unlawful
www.nytimes.com

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 1d
One tangible outcome: — men and boys who have never been subject to any legal process in Syria but universally declared ISIS affiliated and also denied medical treatment by SDF for TB and other illnesses, coming in front of judges and being assessed by medical staff.

apnews.com/article/iraq...
IS suspects transferred from Syria to Iraq are interrogated in a Baghdad prison
Iraq is questioning thousands of Islamic State suspects who have been transferred from prisons in northeastern Syria as it's preparing to put some of them on trial for brutalities and crimes committed...
apnews.com

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 1d
Battles on so many fronts:

“The OLC Maduro Memorandum: Assisting in War Sustaining Activities is Not Direct Participation in Hostilities”

www.justsecurity.org/130603/olc-m...
OLC Maduro Memo: Assisting War vs Participating in Hostilities
A recent OLC memo on U.S. use of force wrongly expands who can be targeted under the law of armed conflict, undermining civilian protections.
www.justsecurity.org

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 1d
“Eight Palestinian men — shackled for the entire journey by their wrists and ankles — were flown from an ICE deportation hub in Phoenix, Arizona on Jan. 20 and arrived in Tel Aviv … after … stops in New Jersey, Ireland, and Bulgaria.”

Europeans maybe Rendition ?

www.972mag.com/us-secretly-...
U.S. secretly deporting Palestinians to West Bank in coordination with Israel
Palestinians arrested by ICE are being flown, bound and shackled, on private jet belonging to Israeli-American tycoon close to Trump, investigation reveals.
www.972mag.com

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 1d
Minnesota ICE Enforcement: Tracking Alleged Constitutional Violations in Court.

www.justsecurity.org/130745/minne...
Minnesota ICE Enforcement: Alleged Constitutional Violations
The ACLU and partners sued over alleged racial profiling and unlawful arrests in Minnesota. Read sworn declarations and case details.
www.justsecurity.org

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 1d
The conditions that gave rise to violence, grooming, trafficking and coercion continue to thrive in Northeast Syria. But once you define all the women and children as ISIS affiliated those concerns don’t matter. We can and should do better.

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 1d
There appears to be little care for further arbitrary detention. Little concern that these women and children end up in the coercive control of armed men and groups, reproducing the conditions that underpinned life under the caliphate for women and girls. Not too many questions asked about consent.

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 1d
And the international security community still pretends that the detention was necessary and justified? And the “disappearance” of thousands of women and children is not a matter of humanitarian and social concern? Many of these women, including Yazidi survivors are again abandoned.

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 1d
I am, in a way astounded. For years, the Global Coalition supported the arbitrary detention of thousands of women and children, in inhumane conditions. When I visited Al Hol in 2023, the conditions were unbearable but sustaining. And now, with a puff, it disappears

www.france24.com/fr/info-en-c...
En Syrie, la plupart des familles de jihadistes étrangers ont disparu du camp d'al-Hol
Après le retrait des forces kurdes qui contrôlaient en Syrie les camps du groupe Etat islamique (EI), des milliers de femmes et d'enfants de jihadistes étrangers ont désormais quitté les lieux, selon…
www.france24.com

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 2d
“The strain is, we argue, a forced reckoning on the long-term sub-contracting of a non-state armed group (SDF) to take care of a self-made detention problem, plus a reliance on complex allies like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to lead on resolving it.”

www.justsecurity.org/131218/legal...
Can Iraq Legally Detain Prisoners Transferred from Syria?
Detainee transfers from Syria to Iraq test the limits of international law, raising grave questions about fair trial rights.
www.justsecurity.org

Reposted by Fionnuala Ní Aoláin

justsecurity.org
Just Security @justsecurity.org · 3d
When the Global Coalition Against Daesh met in Riyadh this week, transfers of Syrian prisoners to Iraq were central to the discussion.

Anne Charbord and @niaolainf.bsky.social write that these transfers present problems under both domestic and international law.
Can Iraq Legally Detain Prisoners Transferred from Syria?
Detainee transfers from Syria to Iraq test the limits of international law, raising grave questions about fair trial rights.
www.justsecurity.org

Reposted by John F. McCarthy, John R. Hutchinson, Steve Peers , and 18 more

karlbode.com
Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 3d
Likely-historic photo by NBC News of all the Epstein victims asked to raise their hands if they've not yet been asked to meet with the DOJ as Bondi testifies in foreground
photo of Pam Bondi testifying in the foreground as a group of 7 women and 1 men raise their hands

Reposted by Fionnuala Ní Aoláin

nytimes.com
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 4d
A large Pride flag has been removed from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City, weeks after the Department of the Interior issued federal guidance on displaying “non-agency” flags in the National Park System.
Pride Flag Is Taken Down From Stonewall Monument
The removal of the flag from the Manhattan monument, the symbolic heart of the gay rights movement, came after a Trump administration directive about flags at national park sites.
nyti.ms

Reposted by Neil Pederson, Christopher Wright, Diane Ravitch , and 4 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 9d
wow -- with Trump standing behind him, a man (not sure who he is) offers this prayer: "We pray that he would be mindful of the poor and that he would be invested in the alleviation of suffering happening in the families preparing to bury their loved ones in Minneapolis."

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 11d
“Bringing children home from the al-Hol and al-Roj camps both upholds their rights and protects them and society from the threat of violent extremism.”

www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2026...
Repatriating children from Syria’s IS camps is the right thing and the smart thing to do
Bringing children home from the al-Hol and al-Roj camps both upholds their rights and protects them and society from the threat of violent extremism.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 11d
“Rand Hammoud, the surveillance campaigns lead at Access Now, said Pall Mall leadership needs to set up “clear criteria for industry engagement … to protect the credibility of an initiative that depends on good faith participation.”

therecord.media/spyware-make...
Spyware maker is hijacking diplomatic efforts to limit commercial hacking, civil society warns
Spyware maker NSO Group trumpeted the company’s participation in the Pall Mall Process, which drew criticism from civil society leaders and government officials who called out human rights abuses.
therecord.media

Reposted by Fionnuala Ní Aoláin

gtconway.bsky.social
George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 12d
www.law.com/americanlawy...

Reposted by Fionnuala Ní Aoláin

famillesunies.bsky.social
Collectif des Familles Unies @famillesunies.bsky.social · 12d
2 février 2026
+110 enfants français
COUPABLES DE RIEN
sont détenus depuis 7 ans
dans le camp de prisonniers #Roj
Nord-Est de la #Syrie
dans des conditions indignes
en violation du droit international
et de la Convention des droits de l'enfant
#RapatriezLesTous
@jnbarrot.bsky.social

Reposted by Fionnuala Ní Aoláin

rgoodlaw.bsky.social
Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · 13d
"It's such a farce. It makes me viscerally angry."

Another heroic Epstein survivor rebukes Todd Blanche.

On the deputy attorney general's claims about DOJ communications with the survivors.

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 13d
A Republic if you can keep it.

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 14d
“Une enquête de l'ONU salue le cessez-le-feu entre la Syrie et les YPG et appelle à la protection des civils”

www.aa.com.tr/fr/monde/une...
Une enquête de l'ONU salue le cessez-le-feu entre la Syrie et les YPG et appelle à la protection des civils
- La Commission appelle à l'accès à l'aide, à des retours en toute sécurité et à des enquêtes sur les allégations d'abus dans le nord-est de la Syrie - Anadolu Ajansı
www.aa.com.tr

Reposted by Fionnuala Ní Aoláin

asharangappa.bsky.social
Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 14d
Today seems like a good day to re-up my cheat sheet on understanding complicity in the Epstein files open.substack.com/pub/asharang...
Your Cheat Sheet on Complicity in the Epstein Saga
Who knew complicity could be so...complicated?
open.substack.com

Reposted by Fionnuala Ní Aoláin

justsecurity.org
Just Security @justsecurity.org · 14d
With thanks to our authors this week:

Kate Welty
Laurence Helfer
Max Sarinsky
@mikeschmitt.bsky.social
@niaolainf.bsky.social
Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga
Preston Lim
@rgoodlaw.bsky.social
Rob McLaughlin
@selopez.bsky.social
@tomjoscelyn.bsky.social
Tracey Begley
@weissmann.substack.com

Reposted by Fionnuala Ní Aoláin

normative.bsky.social
Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 15d
Wade Henderson gave a fantastic talk at a Cato Surveillance Conference I organized about a decade back about how tyranny is always beta tested on immigrants & people of color before wider release. www.cato.org/multimedia/c...

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 15d
We welcome the ceasefire and address ongoing concerns about protection of the civilian population, humanitarian access, and security and humanitarian provision for camps and prisons in NE Syria.

www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
UN Syria Commission of Inquiry welcomes new ceasefire and calls for continuing efforts to protect civilians and prevent violations in northeast Syria
GENEVA  – The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria welcomes today’s ceasefire agreement between the Government of Syria and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and calls for continuing efforts to protect ...
www.ohchr.org

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 16d
Excellent statement from UN Special Procedures led by Ben Saul on events in Northeast Syria.

www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
UN experts urge restoration of peace, human rights and security in North-East Syria
GENEVA – UN experts* today called for a durable ceasefire, the protection of civilians and of Kurdish rights, and the safety and security of detainees and prisoners following recent Syrian military op...
www.ohchr.org

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 16d
Courage and conviction on the rule of law from a former federal prosecutor (one of our excellent @umnlawschool.bsky.social grads)

justiceconnection.substack.com/p/the-preven...
The Preventable Tragedy of Not Investigating Federal Agents in Minneapolis
When the Justice Department brazenly tips the scales in favor of the federal government without any investigation, it erodes any semblance of legitimacy, and with it, the rule of law.
justiceconnection.substack.com

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 17d
“Davos captured a broad shift: Less hedging, more boundary-setting, and a willingness to tell Trump that sovereignty is not a bargaining chip. The Europeans’ tactic was to make clear that coercive tools …would not be treated as a clever negotiating flourish …”

indianexpress.com/article/opin...
World Economic Forum at Davos did just enough on Greenland to matter
It did not ‘solve’ anything — there was no treaty, no joint communiqué, no new institutional machinery. But it helped steer a fast-moving transatlantic quarrel away from its combustible edges.
indianexpress.com