PROFESSOR WILLIAM E. BUTLER INVITED TO MARTENS READINGS
June 2025—Professor William E. Butler was invited to appear at the Martens Readings, established in 2000 jointly by the International Red Cross and St. Petersburg University to honor the contributions made to international humanitarian law by Fedor Fedorovich Martens (1845-1909).
After being suspended for several years because of COVID, the Martens Readings resumed on June 10-11, 2025, to pay special tribute to the memory of Vitalii Semenovich Ivanenko (1946-2024), the eminence gris behind the Readings in St. Petersburg.
Ivanenko was the co-author with Butler of The Saint Petersburg School of International Law (Clark, New Jersey: Talbot Publishing, 2024), whose appearance also coincided with the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg University. Butler delivered a warm tribute to his former colleague and his place in international legal history before a well-attended event.
John Edward Fowler Distinguished Professor of Law William E. Butler specializes in international and comparative law, focusing principally on Russia, Eurasia generally, and public and private international law. A member of the Dickinson Law community since 2005, he served as reader (1970-1976) and professor of comparative law (1976-2005) in the University of London — attached to University College London — where he is presently emeritus professor of comparative law.