{"id":4179,"date":"2019-05-15T14:06:54","date_gmt":"2019-05-15T13:06:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/law-news\/?p=4179"},"modified":"2019-10-08T15:37:36","modified_gmt":"2019-10-08T14:37:36","slug":"removed_from_blacklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/law-news\/removed_from_blacklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr Gavin Sullivan part of team that removed Tunisian national from UN Security Council blacklist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kent Law School Lecturer, and solicitor, Dr Gavin Sullivan is part of an international legal team that worked pro bono<\/em> to help remove a Tunisian national from a UN Security Council terrorism blacklist.<\/p>\n

The UN Security Council Isil and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee removed<\/a> Mr Nassim Saadi from their global blacklist yesterday. His removal from the list\u00a0followed an application filed to the UN Office of the Ombudsperson in 2017 by\u00a0Dr Sullivan<\/a>, Mr Saadi’s solicitor, working with barrister Dr Rachel Barnes<\/a>\u00a0(Three Raymond Buildings) and Dr Alice Riccardi<\/a> (Roma Tre University, Italy).<\/p>\n

Mr Saadi was placed on the UN\u2019s terrorism blacklist at the request of the US and Italian governments. Secret evidence alleged he was \u201cassociated with\u201d an Al-Qaida affiliated group \u2013 an allegation Mr Saadi has long denied. Dr Sullivan said: \u2018Mr Saadi had been subjected to more than 15 years of crippling targeted sanctions without due process to challenge his listing. As a result, he was unable to travel, open a bank account and it was a criminal offence for anyone to give him money. The impact of the listing \u2013 for both Mr Saadi and his family \u2013 has been devastating. This week\u2019s delisting decision vindicates his position, confirms that he is not \u2018associated with\u2019 terrorism, and gives him the long-awaited chance to rebuild a normal life.\u2019<\/p>\n

The decision is a success for the Transnational Listing Project, a global law clinic founded by Dr Sullivan in 2012. The Project provides pro bono<\/em> representation (and an opportunity for a fair process) to people targeted by security lists worldwide.\u00a0Student volunteers from Kent Law School<\/a>\u00a0assisted Dr Sullivan on Mr Saadi’s case through their participation in his innovative Kent LLM module in Global Security Law.<\/a>\u00a0They also had opportunities to work collaboratively with students on Dr Riccardi’s International Terrorism course at Roma Tre University. Dr Barnes, Special Counsel with the Transnational Listing Project, also led the legal team’s advocacy efforts at a crucial January 2019 \u2018dialogue meeting\u2019<\/a> between Mr Saadi and the UN Ombudsperson in Tunisia.<\/p>\n

Dr Sullivan is an expert in global counterterrorism law and governance and has published research<\/a> on the UN Office of the Ombudsperson. He has advised the UN Special Rapporteur on Counter Terrorism and Human Rights, undertaken research for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and helped draft best practice guidelines<\/a> for all UN Member States on countering foreign terrorist fighters whilst respecting human rights. His forthcoming book The Law of the List: UN Counterterrorism Sanctions and the Politics of Global Security<\/em> Law<\/em> will be published by Cambridge University Press in 2020 as part of their Global Law series<\/a>. His current research on countering extremism online and data governance is supported by the British Academy.<\/p>\n