Luke Moffett
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lukemoffett.bsky.social
Luke Moffett
@lukemoffett.bsky.social
2K followers 1.1K following 170 posts

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

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Political science 61%
Sociology 17%
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lukemoffett.bsky.social
Luke Moffett @lukemoffett.bsky.social · Mar 31
Our new podcast series on Civilian Harm and Redress is now out with a first episode with @niaolainf.bsky.social @maethompson.bsky.social @mglattimer.bsky.social @ceasefirecentre.bsky.social
lawpod.org/podcast/civi...
Civilian Harm in Conflict - The United Kingdom
Civilian Harm in Conflict, Ep. 1: Mae Thompson, Ceasefire advocacy officer, hosts this podcast series, part of the AHRC-funded 'Reparations during Armed Conflict' project.
lawpod.org

Reposted by Luke Moffett

markkersten.bsky.social
Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 12h
"We can’t fall into the trap of accepting perpetrators’ efforts to deny the relevance, meaning, or reality of the legal constraints that they violate. That their power shields them from accountability... does not mean that they are not committing crimes" www.thenewhumanitarian.org/interview/20...
“The backlash of the powerful”: Two years of Israel’s war in Gaza and the crisis of international law
We spoke to legal expert Tom Dannenbaum about accountability efforts and how the US’ response is threatening to break the system of international law.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org

Reposted by Luke Moffett

bcfinucane.bsky.social
Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 14h
Complicity in war crimes can eventually catch up with you.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
UK ‘pays substantial sum’ to tortured Guantánamo Bay detainee
Lawyers for Abu Zubaydah accused British intelligence services of providing questions to his CIA interrogators
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Luke Moffett

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 5d
So glad to have this piece published in @articlesofwar.bsky.social to honor trailblazer and thoroughly decent and principled lawyer and law Professor Françoise Hampson.

IN HONOR OF FRANÇOISE HAMPSON

lieber.westpoint.edu/early-interf...
In Honor of Françoise Hampson - The Early Interface of IHL and Human Rights: Lessons from the Frontlines of Turkish Litigation - Lieber Institute West Point
ECtHR has studiously avoided opining on the interface of human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL).
lieber.westpoint.edu

Reposted by Luke Moffett

giancarlofiorella.bsky.social
Giancarlo Fiorella @giancarlofiorella.bsky.social · 5d
NEW: Bellingcat has identified the US munition that struck a residence in Catia La Mar on January 3, killing a 79-year-old woman named Rosa Gonzalez.

It was an AGM-88 series missile, which is used to strike radar-emitting targets like air defense systems.

www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/01...
Inside the Strike: The US Munition That Hit a Residential Building in Venezuela - bellingcat
A Bellingcat investigation has identified remnants of an AGM-88 series missile inside a three-storey apartment complex that was hit in Catia La Mar during the US military raid on Venezuela on Jan. 3, ...
www.bellingcat.com

lukemoffett.bsky.social
Luke Moffett @lukemoffett.bsky.social · 5d
8 children and 5 adult civilians killed after RSF drone hits home in Sudan, medics say
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Sudan civil war: Children among 13 killed after drone hits home in el-Obeid city, medics say
At least 13 people, including eight children, have been killed in the strike in el-Obeid city, medics say.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Luke Moffett

bcfinucane.bsky.social
Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 6d
Victim of the weekend military spectacle in Venezuela.

www.reuters.com/video/watch/...
Family buries woman killed in U.S. attacks on Venezuela
Family members buried 80-year-old Rosa Elena Gonzalez in Catia La Mar, northwest of Caracas, on Monday (January 5) after she died from injuries sustained during U.S. military strikes on the Venezuelan...
www.reuters.com

Reposted by Luke Moffett, Mark Klamberg

justsecurity.org
Just Security @justsecurity.org · 6d
Why does it matter that Nicolás #Maduro told a US judge he’s still president of #Venezuela? International law prohibits prosecution of a sitting head of state in another country’s courts.

@keitnerlaw.com explains head of state immunity and the Maduro case:

www.justsecurity.org/128073/head-...
Head of State Immunity and Maduro on Trial
An international law professor answers frequently asked questions about immunity and Nicolás Maduro's arrest.
www.justsecurity.org

Reposted by Luke Moffett

shipwreck75.bsky.social
Shipwreck @shipwreck75.bsky.social · 8d
The death count from Saturday’s attack has risen to 80, between civilians and members of security forces, according to a senior Venezuelan official. He added that the number could rise further.-NYT

Reposted by Luke Moffett

philipobaji.bsky.social
Philip Obaji Jr. @philipobaji.bsky.social · 10d
Attacks by Wagner fighters on Sarayebo village in the Central African Republic over Xmas & Boxing Day reportedly left at least 32 civilians dead. Victims were mostly Sudanese herders who had crossed into CAR in search pasture & water for their livestock
corbeaunews-centrafrique.org/sarayebo-le-...
Sarayebo : le bilan grimpe à 36 morts après deux jours d’attaques des mercenaires russes | CNC
Sarayebo : le bilan grimpe à 36 morts après deux jours d’attaques des mercenaires russes     Rédigé le . Par : la rédaction de
corbeaunews-centrafrique.org

Reposted by Luke Moffett

pgourevitch.bsky.social
Philip Gourevitch @pgourevitch.bsky.social · 10d
"Seized properties are to be redistributed to Russians who lost their homes "as a result of acts of aggression against the Russian Federation." The Russian legislature is thereby reversing the roles, depicting the plunderer as the victim."

www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
Russia unleashes mass plunder of Ukrainian homes in occupied areas
A law signed by Vladimir Putin on December 15, 2025, encourages large-scale expropriation of property owners in areas occupied by the Russian army. Kyiv condemns the move as 'population replacement.'
www.lemonde.fr

Reposted by Luke Moffett, Diane Marie Amann

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 13d
Ní Aoláin, said she was “most profoundly concerned by the mass indefinite arbitrary detention of children ... premised on the alleged threat they pose to security and based on their – or their parents – alleged prior links to [IS].”

www.irishtimes.com/world/middle...
‘A black legal hole’: Europe criticised for leaving young citizens trapped in Syria
Western countries accused of washing their hands of their own citizens held in Syria
www.irishtimes.com

Reposted by Luke Moffett

bcfinucane.bsky.social
Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 17d
“Amid this chaos there has been one consistent target for Trump’s contempt: the constraints imposed by international law, and its value system built around national sovereignty, including the prohibition of the use of force to change external borders.”

www.theguardian.com/law/ng-inter...
Into the void: how Trump killed international law
The rules-based global order, its institutions and value system face a crisis of legitimacy and credibility as the US turns away
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Luke Moffett, Ryan Goodman

justsecurity.org
Just Security @justsecurity.org · 21d
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, James Goodwin

bcfinucane.bsky.social
Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 21d
The further legacy of DOGE.

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
Congolese rape survivors search in vain for medicine after USAID cuts
In eastern Congo, where rape is widespread, the cancellation of USAID funding for PEP kits has left many victims vulnerable, according to nearly 50 interviews.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Luke Moffett

airwars.bsky.social
Airwars @airwars.bsky.social · 24d
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...

lukemoffett.bsky.social
Luke Moffett @lukemoffett.bsky.social · 27d
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

lukemoffett.bsky.social
Luke Moffett @lukemoffett.bsky.social · 27d
Europe establishes #Ukraine #reparations commission amid push to end war www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
Europe establishes Ukraine reparations commission amid push to end war
The International Claims Commission is tasked with assessing reparation claims and determining amounts to be paid.
www.aljazeera.com

Reposted by Efrén O. Pérez, Luke Moffett, Brian Keegan , and 3 more

abeba.bsky.social
Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.bsky.social · 27d
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
title: Cheap science, real harm: the cost of replacing human participation with synthetic data author: Abeba Birhane abstract: Driven by the goals of augmenting diversity, increasing speed, reducing cost, the use of synthetic data as a replacement for human participants is gaining traction in AI research and product development. This talk critically examines the claim that synthetic data can “augment diversity,” arguing that this notion is empirically unsubstantiated, conceptually flawed, and epistemically harmful. While speed and cost-efficiency may be achievable, they often come at the expense of rigour, insight, and robust science. Drawing on research from dataset audits, model evaluations, Black feminist scholarship, and complexity science, I argue that replacing human participants with synthetic data risks producing both real-world and epistemic harms at worst and superficial knowledge and cheap science at best

Reposted by Luke Moffett, Matthew Bodie, Sergey Vasiliev

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · 28d
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

justsecurity.org
Just Security @justsecurity.org · 28d
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

lukemoffett.bsky.social
Luke Moffett @lukemoffett.bsky.social · Dec 12
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

airwars.bsky.social
Airwars @airwars.bsky.social · Dec 11
“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

lukemoffett.bsky.social
Luke Moffett @lukemoffett.bsky.social · Dec 11
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

savchenkoua.bsky.social
Savchenko Volodymyr @savchenkoua.bsky.social · Dec 11
🇬🇧🇺🇦 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

maethompson.bsky.social
Mae Thompson @maethompson.bsky.social · Dec 11
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

icrclawpolicy.bsky.social
ICRC Law & Policy Outreach @icrclawpolicy.bsky.social · Dec 11
📄 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

bcfinucane.bsky.social
Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · Dec 11
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

lukemoffett.bsky.social
Luke Moffett @lukemoffett.bsky.social · Dec 11
More than 30 dead after Myanmar military air strike hits hospital
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, John Horgan, Andrew Scott , and 4 more

the-independent.com
The Independent @the-independent.com · Dec 10
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

niaolainf.bsky.social
Fionnuala NÍ Aoláin KC (Hons) @niaolainf.bsky.social · Dec 10
«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