Cases Pioneer Remedies for Crimes Against Fundamental Human Rights

Several cases pending in the United States may have a significant impact on the rights of aliens and American citizens to sue foreign citizens and their governments for torture committed in a foreign state.  These cases, which fall under the rubric of the Alien Tort Claims Act of 1789, seek to take advantage of and expand the decision by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Filartiga v. Pena-Irala.