Towards the end of July, Transparency International contributed to two important legal milestones in the global fight for governments and institutions that serve the public interest – one from the International Court of Justice, the other from a German courtroom.
International Court of Justice rules in favour of people and planet
On 23 July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its long-anticipated advisory opinion on states’ climate obligations. Transparency International welcomed its unambiguous message: a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a human right that countries are legally bound to act to protect.
Ahead of the COP30 climate talks in Doha in November, this shows that climate inaction is not just policy failure, but potentially a breach of international law.
This is a major step forward for climate-vulnerable communities – and for the fight against impunity and environmental harm.
According to the court, all states have an “obligation to adopt measures” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and must ensure their climate plans align with the 1.5°C temperature limit under the Paris Agreement. Failure to do so is an internationally wrongful act, which could trigger legal responsibility and reparation to other states.
Legal experts and climate campaigners welcomed the opinion as a turning point that may bolster climate litigation worldwide. While affirming that wealthier nations must lead action, the court highlighted that distinctions between “developed” vs. “developing” countries are not static.
Countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, long shielded by their development status, may soon face sharper legal and diplomatic pressure to increase ambition on cutting emissions.
Historic conviction in cross-border bribery and corruption case
On 30 July, former German Bundestag member Eduard Lintner was found guilty by a court in Munich over his role in the Azerbaijani Laundromat case, as part of which European politicians took bribes to promote the Azerbaijani regime’s interests and silence criticism of its human rights record in the Council of Europe.
This is a historic first step in holding a European politician to account for their role in this massive cross-border bribery and reputation-laundering scheme.
Transparency International and Transparency International Germany have been tracking this case and applying legal pressure for years, and we welcomed the conviction as a landmark milestone.
We are continuing to call on authorities in other countries linked to this scheme to follow Germany’s example and act to ensure that those who took bribes and helped whitewash repression do not escape scrutiny. This case was never just about bribery; it’s also about safeguarding the integrity of democratic institutions.
