Just Access e.V.

16/10/2026

Same caption as Instagram, down to “Quotes from the Just Access Podcast.”, with the last line “Swipe through for key messages from the conversation, then listen to the full episode.”

Listen: https://podcast.just-access.de/
FAO report summary: https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/sofi-2026--hunger-not-inevitable--fao-says-as-global-hunger-report-shows-progress/en

13/10/2026

Can a cyberattack be a war crime?

According to the ICC Office of the Prosecutor, it can, depending on intent and context. Its 2025 Policy on Cyber-enabled Crimes under the Rome Statute makes clear that existing international crimes can be committed or facilitated through digital means. What matters is the effect, not the tool.

In a new four-part blog series, Sarah Hammerl, Legal Research Fellow at Just Access, examines how digitalisation is changing access to justice for international crimes.

Part I sets out the framework: how digital technology reshapes the harms the law must recognise, who produces legal knowledge, and the institutions through which accountability is pursued.

Part II looks closely at the Policy itself, including:
→ Cyberattacks on hospitals, water and power systems
→ Surveillance that may amount to persecution
→ Online incitement and other speech crimes
→ Internet shutdowns, deepfakes and the intimidation of witnesses
→ Whether tech executives could be held responsible

Parts III and IV follow this week.

📖 Part I: https://just-access.de/digital-transformations-of-access-to-justice-international-crimes-in-a-globalised-world-part-i/
📖 Part II: https://just-access.de/digital-transformations-of-access-to-justice-international-crimes-in-a-globalised-world-part-ii/

12/10/2026

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay, for her efforts to promote peace and international law.

A South African lawyer who began her career defending anti-apartheid activists, including Nelson Mandela, she went on to serve as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, and as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Committee highlights her influence on the Rwanda tribunal’s findings that r**e and sexual violence can constitute a crime against humanity and genocide.

At Just Access, we work before UN Special Procedures, the Human Rights Council and regional human rights courts, and produce legal research on accountability and access to justice. The Committee’s message, “Peace requires justice”, reflects why that work matters: the rule of law only holds when people are willing to use it and defend it.

Congratulations, Judge Pillay.

Source: Norwegian Nobel Committee, Announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize 2026
https://www.nobelpeaceprize.org/articles/announcement-of-the-nobel-peace-prize-2026

28/09/2026

🎙️ **Human rights documentation is about more than collecting evidence. It’s about protecting the people who make that evidence possible.**

In **Part 2** of our conversation with **Skylar Thompson**, Deputy Director of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), and **Jennifer Connet**, Legal Advisor at HRA, we explore what it takes to document human rights violations inside Iran.

Skylar explains how HRA verifies and preserves information from its network across Iran — while keeping victims, witnesses and sources safe.

We also discuss the often invisible side of human rights work: helping people at immediate risk, maintaining communication during internet shutdowns, and continuing to document violations beyond the headlines.

Skylar and Jennifer also share advice for those entering human rights work: **stay curious, remain humble, build relationships, and embrace unexpected career paths.**

🎧 **Listen to Part 2 of “Human Rights Activists in Iran” on the Just Access Podcast.**

👉 https://just-access.de/podcast

20/09/2026

Kinderrechte sind Menschenrechte. 💙🌍

Zum erinnern wir daran, dass die Folgen des Klimawandels Kinder besonders betreffen und ihre Rechte deshalb auch bei der Klimaanpassung mitgedacht werden müssen.

Bei Just Access setzen wir uns dafür ein, dass Menschenrechte von Anfang an Teil dieser Prozesse sind.

Everyone can be a Human Rights Defender.

17/09/2026

🎙️ Podcast & Short-Form Content Volunteer WANTED (Remote)!

Want to help make human rights and international law accessible? We’re looking for a remote volunteer to turn key moments from the Just Access Podcast into engaging short-form clips for LinkedIn and Instagram! 📲

No professional editing background needed. Just a great eye for compelling stories and a passion for social justice.

👉 Swipe through to read the full details!

📥 Interested? Send us a DM to get in touch.

🏷️ Tag a friend who would be great for this!

14/09/2026

🎙️ NEW EPISODE | HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS IN IRAN

What does accountability look like when human rights violations continue, victims are seeking justice, and national courts offer little hope?

In this episode of the Just Access Podcast, Dr. Miranda Melcher speaks with Skylar Thompson, Deputy Director, and Jennifer Connet, Legal Advisor, at HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS IN IRAN (HRA).

Together, they explore HRA’s work documenting human rights violations in Iran and its submission to the German Federal Prosecutor requesting the opening of a structural investigation into crimes committed in Iran.

🇩🇪 Why Germany?

The conversation examines:
🔹 What a structural investigation is—and why it matters.
🔹 Germany’s universal jurisdiction framework and its role in pursuing accountability for international crimes.
🔹 The importance of documenting violations and preserving evidence for future prosecutions.
🔹 The challenges of pursuing justice in Iran and through the International Criminal Court.
🔹 Why listening to victims and survivors must remain central to accountability efforts.

Skyler and Jennifer also reflect on the realities faced by people inside Iran, the importance of setting realistic expectations, and the role of documentation in ensuring that violations are not forgotten.

📌 Accountability takes time. Documentation matters. And the voices of victims must be heard.

🎧 Listen to Part 1 on the episode here: https://just-access.de/podcast

And stay tuned for Part 2 of this important conversation.

Just Access talks to academics, international legal experts and human rights advocates about hot topics in the field of international law, with the intention to expose and highlight situations of structural injustice and creatively explore unusual possible solutions to such issues, aiming at protect...

03/09/2026

Exposing the truth shouldn’t cost anyone their freedom.

Whistleblowers play a critical role in safeguarding democracy by exposing corruption, abuse of power and illegal surveillance.

⚠️ Yet speaking out often comes with devastating personal risks.

📜 While the EU Whistleblower Directive was established to protect employees, interns and facilitators, having a law on paper isn’t enough.

🏛️ Weak national implementation, administrative hurdles and a lack of resources continue to leave courageous individuals vulnerable.

⚖️ As the European Commission evaluates the directive, real protection requires an independent, unbiased judiciary, fair trials and swift sanctions against employer retaliation and real-world enforcement over theoretical legal promises.

No achievement lasts unless each generation chooses to defend it. Everybody can be a human rights defender!

👉 Read the full blog post on our website or via the link in our Bio.

02/09/2026

Why are crimes against persons with disabilities still overlooked during armed conflict and humanitarian crises?

💬 In our latest submission to the UN CRPD Committee, Just Access e.V. tackles the persistent accountability void.

🤝 We argue that budget constraints can never justify a failure to protect and that remedies must be immediate, accessible and legally binding.

🏛️ From local courts to international crime treaties, disability rights belong at the center of international law.

📌 Our full submission is now online on the UN CRPD webpage! You can also read it via the link in our bio!

01/09/2026

🇸🇩 What does justice look like in a country devastated by war?

In our latest episode of the Just Access Podcast, Dr. Miranda Melcher speaks with Mossaad Mohamed Ali, human rights lawyer and Executive Director of the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS).

Mossaad has spent decades working to document human rights violations and fight impunity in Sudan. He shares his personal journey into human rights work, shaped by the atrocities he witnessed in Darfur, and explains how ACJPS works to document international crimes, pursue strategic litigation, and advocate for victims and survivors at national, regional, and international levels.

🎙️ In this episode, we discuss:
🔹 The devastating human rights situation in Sudan since the outbreak of war in 2023
🔹 Torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, sexual and gender-based violence, and child recruitment
🔹 The role of the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in addressing human rights violations
🔹 The joint UPR submission by ACJPS and Just Access
🔹 Why documenting violations today is essential for future accountability
🔹 What individuals and organizations can do to support justice and human rights in Sudan

For Mossaad, the most urgent priority is clear: the war must end. But ending the conflict must also be followed by accountability for those responsible for atrocities.

👉 Listen to the episode: https://shows.acast.com/just-access/episodes/collaborating-with-the-african-centre-for-justice-and-peace