About
Dr Jasmin Johurun Nessa is a University Teacher at the University of Liverpool. She is also a Research Associate in International Law at the University of Bristol, working on a Leverhulme Trust-funded project examining the relationship between International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL) in armed conflict. Dr Nessa has served as General Co-Editor of the Journal on the Use of Force and International Law’s Digest of State Practice since 2020, documenting and analysing state practice on matters relating to the jus ad bellum. Prior to this, she was a Middle East and North Africa Regional Coordinator for the Journal. Her expertise and research interests include the use of force, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, and international human rights law, as well as the practice of the United Nations Security Council and the International Court of Justice.
Dr Nessa completed her PhD at the University of Liverpool in 2024, titled The Evidentiary Standard of Self-Defence in International Law, which she successfully defended in her viva voce with no corrections. Her thesis presents the first in-depth extensive analysis of the evidentiary standards for self-defence within international law. This work facilitates a deeper understanding of how self-defence claims are proven under international law and fills a critical gap in both academic scholarship, and the practical application of international law for policymakers and international law practitioners. Underpinned by a comprehensive empirical study of a vast dataset covering over 75 years of United Nations records and practice, her thesis systematically maps and analyses state practice, International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisprudence, and scholarly discourse from the period 1945 to 2022.
Dr Nessa's professional work engages directly with international courts and tribunals. She has acted as research assistant and assistant counsel in landmark cases before the International Court of Justice, and has contributed to proceedings before the International Criminal Court. Some of these cases at the ICJ include: Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel); Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Nicaragua v. Germany); and Obligations of Israel in relation to the Presence and Activities of the United Nations, Other International Organizations and Third States in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.