Luke Moffett
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lukemoffett.bsky.social
Luke Moffett
@lukemoffett.bsky.social

Prof of Human Rights and #IHL researching on redress, civilian harm, OSINT and AI, working on rewilding the north coast

Political science 61%
Sociology 17%
Operation Hawkeye Strike: Attacking ISIS in Syria and International Law

By Michael Schmitt and Ryan Goodman
@mikeschmitt.bsky.social @rgoodlaw.bsky.social
Operation Hawkeye Strike: Attacking ISIS in Syria and International Law
Two experts discuss international law on U.S. military strikes against ISIS in the context of the new Syrian government.
www.justsecurity.org

Reposted by Luke Moffett

The number of people the U.S. has declared killing since September in strikes on small boats allegedly smuggling drugs has risen above 100, following attacks on six vessels in the past week.

See our interactive tracker here: airwars.org/conflict/u-s...

Some US Navy activity off the Venezuelan coast, about 200km out with an E-2 Hawkeye, two EA-18G Growlers for electronic spectrum warfare and two others F-18 'rhino' with either likely running CAP over carrier USS Truman

I wrote this brief talk on why “augmenting diversity” with LLMs is empirically unsubstantiable, conceptually flawed, and epistemically harmful and a nice surprise to see the organisers have made it public

synthetic-data-workshop.github.io/papers/13.pdf
Honored to serve on the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic.

www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
Human Rights Council President appoints Members of the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic
GENEVA - The President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Jürg Lauber (Switzerland), has appointed Monia Ammar (Tunisia) and Fionnuala Ní Aoláin (Republic of Ireland) to serve as members of the U...
www.ohchr.org

Reposted by Luke Moffett

The 22 boat strikes have triggered an international obligation to investigate potential illegalities.

Michael Schmitt and Marko Milanovic discuss

- legal sources for the obligation to investigate
- criteria for carrying out independent investigation

www.justsecurity.org/127136/inter...
The International Law Obligation to Investigate the Boat Strikes
The lethal strikes are unlawful under IHRL and, even on the administration’s own terms, trigger LOAC and DoD duties to investigate.
www.justsecurity.org

Britain threatened to defund #ICC over Netanyahu arrest warrant, claims prosecutor www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...
Britain threatened to cut off ICC funding over Netanyahu arrest warrant, claims prosecutor
Karim Khan makes allegation in court submission while defending decision to prosecute Israeli prime minister in 2024
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Luke Moffett

“The way the majority [of private security contractors] dealt with us was savage” - Ibrahim

In our new investigation, Airwars visualises a GHF aid distribution on June 8th, revealing the violence aid-seekers endured as they tried to get food under the system

ghf.airwars.org

Police apologise to family of first child killed in Troubles Patrick Rooney, 9, with compensation paid to his 88 year old mother

Patrick's brother Con said "It was never about the money, you can't put a price on life, but the police must be apologising for something."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Settlement reached in court over first child killed in Troubles
Patrick Rooney's mother, now 88, took legal action against the PSNI over his death.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Luke Moffett

🇬🇧🇺🇦 UK banks have pushed back against plans to use about £8bn in frozen Russian assets they hold, warning that the British government has not offered to indemnify them against potential retaliation by Moscow, - FT

Reposted by Luke Moffett

Latest Conflict Index from @acleddata.bsky.social suggests that conflict levels stabilised in 2025 while violence targeting civilians increased, described by analysts as a troubling ‘new normal’
What's driving conflict today? A review of global trends
ACLED’s conflict data shed light on how governments and armed groups are changing the global political landscape.
acleddata.com

Reposted by Luke Moffett

📄 20 years on, reassessing the @icrc.org’s 2005 study on customary IHL offers a timely lens on how the law applies today

Its findings continue to clarify gaps left by treaties and strengthen the practical application of IHL

Read more → bit.ly/49aXM9R
#IHL #CustomaryLaw
Twenty years on: the enduring impact of the ICRC customary IHL study and database
How the ICRC's 2005 study on customary IHL clarified gaps left by the treaties, and helped to strengthen the practical application of IHL.
bit.ly

Reposted by Luke Moffett

Allegations of a US night raid with a local partner force going bad, this time in Syria.

apnews.com/article/syri...
US raid allegedly killed Syrian undercover agent instead of Islamic State group official
A recent U.S. operation in Syria mistakenly killed a man who had been working undercover against the Islamic State group, according to his family, a war monitor and officials.
apnews.com

More than 30 dead after Myanmar military air strike hits hospital
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
IN DEPTH | If you could speak to your dead grandmother forever, would you?
If you could speak to your dead grandmother forever, would you?
www.independent.co.uk

Reposted by Luke Moffett

«Micheál Martin, [said] the report was “very clear about the unacceptable nature of state involvement and utilisation of this agent, which led to so many deaths, …also very clear about the campaign of terror the Provisional IRA waged within their own communities”

www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/20...
IRA spy Stakeknife ‘well rewarded financially and taken on holiday’ by handlers, report reveals
Kenova investigation lays bare how double agent and murderer was repeatedly protected at the expense of his victims
www.irishtimes.com

UN says 200,000 people in DR Congo flee M23 rebel group's advance toward Burundi border
www.rte.ie/news/world/2...

Sudan air force bombing of towns, markets, hospitals, displaced person camps and schools has killed at least 1700 civilians and injured over 1200 in past two years www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Sudan war: Air force's bombing of towns, markets and schools has killed hundreds, report says
A detailed study highlights the military's aerial campaign and how civilians have been its victims.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Luke Moffett

At least 4 Cambodian civilians have been killed and 9 injured in Thai military strikes inside Cambodia, according to Information Minister Neth Pheaktra.

Seizure of South Yemen by UAE-backed STC forces could lead to independence claim www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
Seizure of South Yemen by UAE-backed forces could lead to independence claim
STC troops now control all eight governorates, a major setback for Emirates’ regional rival Saudi Arabia
www.theguardian.com

Deadly RSF drone attack on kindergarten reported in Sudan, with at least 50 civilians killed including 33 children www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Deadly attack on kindergarten reported in Sudan
Drone strikes on a town in South Kordofan on Thursday are said to have killed at least 50 people.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Luke Moffett

Boat Strike Survivors Clung to Wreckage for Some 45 Minutes Before U.S. Military Killed Them

“There are a lot of disturbing aspects. But this is one of the most disturbing.”

theintercept.com/2025/12/05/b...
Boat Strike Survivors Clung to Wreckage for Some 45 Minutes Before U.S. Military Killed Them
“There are a lot of disturbing aspects. But this is one of the most disturbing.”
theintercept.com

Reposted by Luke Moffett

Our interactive tracker has been updated to include this latest strike which reportedly killed 4 people. We have now recorded 22 incidents in which 86 people were declared dead.

You can view the tool and specific incidents here:
airwars.org/conflict/u-s...

x.com/Southcom/sta...

Reposted by Luke Moffett

“What I saw in that room is one of the most troubling scenes I’ve ever seen in my time in public service.”
Video of U.S. Military Killing Boat Strike Survivors Is Horrifying, Lawmakers Reveal
“What I saw in that room is one of the most troubling scenes I’ve ever seen in my time in public service.”
interc.pt

Reposted by Luke Moffett

The US government is now targeting anyone applying for a H-1b visa that have worked on "activities such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance and online safety, among others."

www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...