Day 449

April 13, 2026

5 incidents

  1. Serious Rights Violation Rule of Law

    Judges Patel and Froes fired in direct retaliation for pro-Palestinian student rulings

    Massachusetts immigration judges Roopal Patel and Nina Froes are fired. Judge Patel had dismissed the deportation case against Tufts University PhD student Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish national detained by ICE in March 2026. Judge Froes had dismissed the deportation case against Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian-American detained over his political activism. Democracy Now!, The Daily Record, and Honolulu Star-Advertiser report the firings are direct retaliation for those rulings.

    From: Immigration Judiciary Purge: 113 Judges Fired Without Due Process, Including Retaliation Against Judges Who Protected Free Speech

  2. War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Foreign Policy & War

    U.S. Naval Blockade of Iranian Ports

    After Islamabad peace talks collapsed on April 12, Trump declared a full naval blockade of all Iranian ports beginning April 13. Trump threatened ships approaching the blockade would be 'blown to hell' and 'eliminated.' A blockade constitutes an act of war under international law.

  3. War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Foreign Policy & War

    Naval blockade replaces airstrikes as economic weapon

    With the ceasefire unraveling and peace talks collapsed, Trump shifts from bombing Kharg Island to imposing a full naval blockade of all Iranian ports — achieving the same goal of cutting Iran's oil exports through siege rather than strikes.

    From: U.S. Strikes on Iran's Kharg Island Oil Export Hub

  4. War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Foreign Policy & War

    US naval blockade takes effect

    The naval blockade begins at 10 AM ET. Trump threatens ships approaching the blockade will be 'blown to hell.' A 40-nation coalition led by the UK begins planning to reopen the strait. Iran warns 'no port in the Persian Gulf will be safe.'

    From: Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Global Energy and Food Security Catastrophe

  5. War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Military Overreach

    Naval blockade takes effect; war enters siege phase

    The US naval blockade begins at 10 AM ET. Trump threatens to destroy approaching ships. The war escalates from airstrikes to siege warfare against Iran's 88 million civilians. A 40-nation coalition led by the UK begins planning to reopen the strait in opposition to the US blockade.

    From: Iran War: Crime of Aggression — War Launched Without Congressional Authorization