New York Partner to Speak on International Law and Comment on Documentary Examining the Impact of Landmines on Civilians

Partner John Balouziyeh will join the international legal community at the 2026 Annual Conference of the International Bar Association (IBA) in Copenhagen, where he will speak on two panels—on international human rights and international humanitarian law—and offer remarks at the screening of Eternal Sentinel, a documentary on the impact of landmines and improvised explosive devices on civilians in armed conflict.

On Wednesday, October 7, 2026, from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., Mr. Balouziyeh will speak on the panel “Law in the Line of Fire: Confronting Poverty in Conflict.” He will address how armed conflict drives poverty, presenting original research on the effect of conflict and sanctions on Syria, where most of the population now lives below the poverty line and more than half has been displaced by war. The panel, moderated by Kirsty Sutherland, is detailed here.

On Wednesday, October 7, 2026, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., he will join the “Law as shield and sword: targeted sanctions and the contest over legal tools for accountability” panel, which examines how targeted sanctions can be deployed to advance accountability and considers what due process safeguards are required to ensure sanctions serve justice rather than undermine it. Baroness Helena Kennedy KC will moderate the panel; full session details are available here. 

On Thursday, October 8, 2026, from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., he will join the session “Hot Topics in Human Rights,” addressing the issues at the forefront of the Damascus bar: transitional justice; the reintegration of returning Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs); and locating Syria’s disappeared. More information on the panel, moderated by Professor Markus Beham, is available here. 

On the evening of October 7, 2026, Mr. Balouziyeh will offer remarks at the screening of Eternal Sentinel, a documentary examining the toll of landmines and improvised explosive devices on children, journalists, and other civilians. Despite the territorial defeat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, such incidents have risen tenfold, claiming countless civilian lives, including those of children.

The screening will open with a drinks and canapés reception. A panel discussion and Q&A will follow, moderated by Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, Director of the IBA Human Rights Institute, with panelists Verity Coyle, Deputy Director for Arms in the Crisis, Conflict and Arms Division at Human Rights Watch; Karen Grønlund Rogne, Director for Multilateral Cooperation and Policy at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (pending); Graeme Ogilvie, humanitarian deminer and DanChurchAid Country Director for Libya and Lebanon; Ambassador Stephen Rapp, Chair of the Commission for International Justice and Accountability; and Maryam Ashrafi, the film's director. 

Attendance at the reception and film screening is complimentary and open to the public. However, advance registration is required. Registration is available here.