Torture Victim Protection Act Becomes Law

On March 12, President Bush signed into law the Torture Victim Protection Act (P.L. 102-256). The law provides a civil cause of action for U.S. citizens against those who, acting under the actual or apparent authority of a foreign government, subject an individual to torture or extrajudicial killing. In order to bring suit, the alleged torturer must be present in the United States and a plaintiff must exhaust all available remedies in the country where the torture occurred…[more]