Prof Melanie O'Brien
Prof Int Law & AssocDean (Research) UWA. Visiting Scholar @umnlawschool.bsky.social. Aust Red Cross volunteer. Int crim law; genocide studies; IHL; human rights. All posts my opinion.
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3571
- Reposted by Prof Melanie O'BrienIf Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don't tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff. Democracy dies in oligarchy.
- Really interesting reflection from my friend @joeeggers.bsky.social on his work in #Namibia on memorialisation & education about the Herero/Nama #Genocide. Great to hear that @umnchgs.bsky.social has received more funding to expand this excellent project. thesocietypages.org/holocaust-ge...
- Great interview with my friend Dr Carrie Walling about conflict and accountability for #humanRights violations in #Minnesota. #law #MNStrong
- An incredibly depressing must-read that demonstrates the values of the neo-liberalist UK govt & the demise of #higherEd as an intellectual & community pursuit.
- Open letter from @umnlawschool.bsky.social academics on the breaches of constitutional #law taking place by ICE in #Minnesota. #USA #MNStrong lpeproject.org/blog/an-open...
- Significant mass atrocity risk in #SouthSudan, w/violent, ethnicised rhetoric from military leaders. www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
- @fortifyrights.bsky.social report on detention of #Rohingya #refugees on Bhasan Char. When this idea was floated, backlash noted the island was isolated & massive flood risk. Yet #Bangladesh still moved 34,500 refugees there, in the conditions as in this report www.fortifyrights.org/bgd-inv-2026...
- These people are so freaking delusional & crazed, I am starting to wonder if they are all consuming some kind of drug to make them so angry & crazy. It's just not normal to get so worked up over random people you don't know, who don't affect you, & who haven't done anything wrong.
- Is it summer yet? ☀️☀️☀️ #hotHotHot
- So much hate & anger in the world that just leads to violence & tragedy. Like the Bondi attack on Jewish people celebrating Hannukah... www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...
- ❤️✊
- Armenian captives openly told by Azeri authorities that they were only being held as political leverage against #Armenia, while being put through sham trials & bombarded with anti-Armenia propaganda. #humanRights www.civilnet.am/en/news/9987...
- ❤️✊🎵 'We'll remember the names of those who died on the streets of #Minneapolis... the claim was self-defence, just don't believe your eyes. It's our blood & bones & these whistles & phones against Miller & Noem's dirty lies... They say they're here to uphold the law, but they trample on our rights.'
- Academics, you may want to check if you (your work) appears on this list for a class action against Anthropic for publishing books unlawfully online. Sucking your work for AI! If your book is on the list, join the class action! #law #IP #academia www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com
- When you look up 'awkward' in the dictionary, this video appears.
- 🥳
- REAKING: A federal judge in Minnesota has barred the Trump administration from arresting / detaining the state's 5,600 refugees while they await lawful permanent resident status. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
- Reposted by Prof Melanie O'Brien[Not loaded yet]
- I once had a Chinese student in tears in my office talking about how his school friends just disappeared & he never saw them again. They were #Uyghurs. This stuff traumatises & stays with people, incl kids.
- Really want to go see this exhibition!! I am such a Westwood fan. #fashion #punk www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
- Absurd, absolutely absurd. So, what, this GOP doesn't care about bringing polio back?! Apparently 'personal autonomy' is more important than public #health. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/h...
- & now the authoritarian regime is coming after the Signal groups being used in #MN. Of course they are. www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...
- Reposted by Prof Melanie O'BrienAbsolutely reprehensible that AG Bondi is offering ICE stand down in exchange for access to voting rolls. Outrageous and disgusting. It shows ICE is in Minneapolis is not for law enforcement purposes. Instead it’s a way to stir up shit in blue states and extort them.
- Why were ICE on an operation to arrest an alleged ‘illegal criminal’ in a non-residential street, a street of shops & restaurants??! & why does it take so many ‘agents’ to arrest a single person?? Everything they spout is such propaganda. Lies, all lies.
- Excellent lengthy interview with @katefitzgibbon.bsky.social on ABC News today about domestic violence in the context of the latest murder of 2 women by a man out on bail for DV offences. #endVAW
- I cannot express how distressing this is. This man, trying to help someone, was executed publicly outside the grocery store we used to shop at in #Minneapolis. Whittier was our neighbourhood. #MNStrong www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
- Executed in cold blood by violent fascist militia, with support of the #USA govt, immediately excused by evil Noem, who disgustingly labelled Pretti a ‘domestic terrorist’. ICE are the real terrorists. Masked, uniformed violent men attacking civilians in the streets & their homes. 😡😡
- I love this! ‘Love over gold; curiosity over certainty; connection over separation’ 💕💜
- Reposted by Prof Melanie O'BrienTwo women trained as first responders were abducted by three ICE agents. One of the agents starts seizing. The other two don’t know what to do. The women jump into action and save the agent’s life, only to be re-handcuffed and processed. www.startribune.com/detained-by-...
- 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
- Maine joining the #resistance ✊
- So proud of #Minnesota. Standing up for what’s right, even in freezing weather. With you all in solidarity✊ #MPLS #MNStrong #MN #ICEout #humanRights #resist www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/u...
- @umnlawschool.bsky.social academics are working overtime at the moment. Check out their feed for links to interviews w/many #law experts from #UMN on the legal issues relating to the fed govt's attack on #MN right now, such as ICE actions & investigations into public officials.
- Another man who had an AVO against him for DV offences, & was on bail (for stalking & intimidation with intent to cause physical fear or harm, common assault, and property damage) has murdered 2 women (no doubt the AVO women). #endVAW www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
- Amnesty has issued a report about rising #authoritarianism & #humanRights violations in #USA, incl enforced disappearances, restrictions on #freeSpeech incl the media, increased #corruption, militarisation of law enforcement, mass surveillance, weakening of rule of law www.jurist.org/news/2026/01...
- Yeah #Minnesota ✊✊✊. #fuckICE
- Really glad to see a UNSR speaking publicly about the lack of financial & institutional support for these #humanRights mandates. Everyone I know in a UNSR role has found it incredibly difficult. These important roles need more support! #intLaw www.universal-rights.org/is-the-uns-s...
- Meme game out there is strong lately 😂
- Absolutely extraordinary photos. So proud to see all these #MN #MPLS people standing up to fascist policing. ✊ #humanRights #MNStrong
- Stunning photos from Minneapolis, including this one by John Locher for the Associated Press. www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
- Chit-chatting w/ @janethanderson.bsky.social about the #Gambia v #Myanmar #GenCon #ICJ hearings, which are taking up most of my time lately! Such an important case. #genocide #intlaw www.justiceinfo.net/en/154334-ge...
- Reposted by Prof Melanie O'BrienMy friends local to Minnesota, whom I trust a great deal, would like to share the following resources that could use support. PowWowGrounds - Native American Coffee Shop doing direct food and supply aid to their communities- Venmo @powwowgrounds www.powwowgrounds.com
- I really hope the military will refuse to act against American citizens. There must be at least some soldiers who are not just blindly following orders. #MNStrong www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
- The Iranian people's "desire to get rid of #Iran’s current regime is not an invitation for foreign interference". www.commondreams.org/opinion/iran...
