civil litigation – Page 3 – International Justice Resource Center

Blackwater Successor Settles Two Wrongful Death Cases by Civilians and Contractors Killed in Iraq

January 8, 2012 IJRC ATCA litigation, corporate accountability, international criminal law, military and humanitarian intervention, U.S. courts

Family members of Iraqi civilians killed by Blackwater security contractors in Baghdad’s Nisoor Square in 2007 have agreed to a settlement offered by Academi, Blackwater’s successor (also recently known as Xe Services). [Washington Post] On September 16, 2007, Blackwater employees guarding U.S. diplomats opened fire into a crowd, killing seventeen Iraqi civilians in what was alleged by prosecutors to be

Two Suits Against Corporations for Violations of International Law Proceed in U.S. Federal Court

May 23, 2011 IJRC ATCA litigation, corporate accountability, U.S. courts

Eleven Falun Gong practitioners have filed suit against computer networking company Cisco Systems for allegedly facilitating human rights abuses by the Chinese government against Falun Gong members, by developing and providing Internet surveillance technology known as Golden Shield or Policenet. [Wall Street Pit] The suit, filed by the Human Rights Law Foundation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern

UK Reviews Anti-Terrorism Measures; Recommends Less Restrictive Version of Control Orders

January 26, 2011 IJRC civil litigation, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, European System, security & rule of law

The United Kingdom’s Home Office has published its Review of Counter-Terrorism and Security Powers: Review Findings and Recommendations, an analysis of British counter-terrorism measures – including pre-charge detention, control orders, deportation of foreign nations, stop and search, and surveillance – in light of the country’s Human Rights Act and obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. [UK Human Rights

Following Return from Exile, Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier Facing Criminal and Civil Liability for Fraud and Human Rights Abuses

January 26, 2011 IJRC civil litigation, Inter-American System, international criminal law

Following the unexpected return of former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude (“Baby Doc”) Duvalier to Port-au-Prince earlier this month after 25 years in exile, the former President for Life is facing criminal prosecution on fraud charges and several civil suits alleging human rights abuses and crimes against humanity, committed during his 15-year rule. [Democracy Now!; Guardian] Calls for Duvalier’s prosecution came as soon as

News Clips – October 25, 2010

October 25, 2010 IJRC African System, civil litigation, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, European System, ICTR, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, interim measures, International Criminal Court, labor rights, liberty & security of person, regional human rights protection, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, torture, U.S. courts, UN Special Procedures, Uncategorized

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights begins holding hearings today in its 140th Period of Sessions. Issues to be discussed today include the Situation of Environmentalists in Mesoamerica, and Discrimination against the Transsexual, Transgender, and Transvestite Population in Brazil. See the week’s schedule of hearings here. Webcast of some hearings is available here. The role of humanitarian aid in contributing

News Clips – October 3, 2010

October 3, 2010 IJRC children, civil litigation, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, internationalized criminal tribunals, massacres, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, U.S. courts, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures

In Ecuador, a state of emergency remains in place following last week’s uprising of members of the military against President Correa’s government, prompting human rights defenders to call for a quick restoration of full civil liberties. [CEJIL] The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemned the attack against Correa. [IACHR] Germany today commemorates 20 years of reunification and will use its

U.S. Court Rules Corporations Cannot be Held Civilly Liable for Torture and Other Violations of International Law under ATCA

September 20, 2010 IJRC ATCA litigation, corporate accountability, environmental rights, U.S. courts

Last Friday’s Second Circuit ruling in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, if upheld, could be the death knell for litigation seeking to hold corporations accountable for torture and other violations of customary international law under the Alien Tort Claims Act. The plaintiffs, Nigerian nationals, brought suit against Royal Dutch and Shell Petroleum for aiding and abetting the Nigerian government in

News Clips – September 20, 2010

September 20, 2010 IJRC ATCA litigation, crime & impunity, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, environmental rights, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, massacres, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, U.S. courts, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures

In a heartbreaking blow to Afghan hopes for peace, several U.S. soldiers are under investigation for murdering at least three Afghan civilians last year as part of a rogue “kill team” that was allegedly formed when a staff sergeant who had served in Iraq in 2004 joined the platoon stationed in Kandahar province. [Washington Post] The French Senate has approved

News Clips – through Sept. 14, 2010

September 14, 2010 IJRC ATCA litigation, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, ICJ, ICTR, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, interim measures, International Criminal Court, internationalized criminal tribunals, liberty & security of person, massacres, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, torture, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Syria welcomes its first visit from a UN special rapporteur, the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, in a showing of increased participation with the UN Human Rights Council’s monitoring mechanisms, including its upcoming Universal Periodic Review. [The National; OHCHR] The Special Rapporteur estimates that 2 to 3 million people face food insecurity in

Ninth Circuit Dismisses Rendition Lawsuit against Boeing Subsidiary, Granting Government’s Invocation of State Secrets Privilege

September 11, 2010 IJRC ATCA litigation, due process & judicial protection, torture, U.S. courts

On September 8, an en banc panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit dismissed a civil suit filed under the Alien Tort Claims Act by five extraordinary rendition victims against a Boeing subsidiary, Jeppesen DataPlan, Inc. for its role in their rendition. [Amnesty International USA ; ACLU] The federal government intervened in the suit, arguing that