HARGEISA, 1 October 2009 (Somalilandpress) – The Supreme Court will consider throwing out a human rights lawsuit against a former prime minister of Somalia who is accused of overseeing killings and other atrocities.
The court said Wednesday it would review an appeals court ruling allowing Somalis to sue Mohamed Ali Samantar of Fairfax, Va., who was defense minister and prime minister of Somalia in the 1980s and early 1990s under dictator Siad Barre.
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The lawsuit alleges that Samantar was responsible for killings, rapes and torture, including waterboarding, of his own people while in power, particularly against disfavored clans. The lawsuit was filed in 2004 at federal court in Alexandria under the Torture Victim Protection Act.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema tossed out the case in 2007, ruling that Samantar was entitled to immunity under a separate U.S. law, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.
But the appellate court ruled that the law does not extend immunity to individuals, only to foreign states themselves and their agencies.
The high court will consider whether Samantar is immune from the lawsuit. The case will be argued early next year.
Source: AP
unlike Egal mr Mohamed Ali Samantar has retained the respect and appreciation of the somali people
only if we appreciated him earler we would not be in the current predicament
we will leave no soldier behind our loyalty is with mr Samantar god bless him and his family
Any somali who defends Ali Samater and those like him, is shameless! May be there is some somali blood is in your hands- like Samater or you are an ignorant who does not know what this guy has done to his nation!
I agree with C/Illahi that any Somali or foreign agents who defends murderers like Ali Samatar are shameless and don't have any respect for human beings.
Well, what you except from somebody like xidigsomaliweyn who does have his facts straight. He is really annoying. The blood of Somalilanders doesn't mean anything to him.
Seriously? You primitives feel you even deserve a government after what you've done to your country? Please.