CJA

COLUMBUS — A former Somali military colonel now living in Ohio ordered the detention and torture of a lawyer and human rights advocate in Somalia in 1988, an ordeal that permanently crippled the victim, according to a federal lawsuit filed today.

CJA would like to thank our generous sponsors and supporters who made our 2012 Annual Dinner, Celebrating our Victories in the Movement for Global Justice, a resounding success. Over 300 CJA supporters, partners and clients joined us on May 10th in San Francisco to celebrate our successes in holding high-ranking perpetrators accountable and providing redress to survivors of human rights abuses.

Reduced to ignominy, Alvaro Saravia–an architect of the assassination of Archbishop Romero–has been a pizza delivery man, a used car salesman and a drug money launderer. Now he is burning in the hell he helped create during a time when killing “communists” was a sport.

El mayor D´Aubuisson fue parte de la conspiración para asesinar a monseñor Romero, aunque el tirador lo puso un hijo del ex presidente Molina, dice el capitán Álvaro Saravia. 30 años después, él y otros de los involucrados reconstruyen aquellos días de tráfico de armas, de cocaína y de secuestros. Caído en desgracia, Saravia ha sido repartidor de pizzas, vendedor de carros usados y lavador de narcodinero. Ahora arde en el infierno que ayudó a prender aquellos días cuando matar “comunistas” era un deporte.

The three refugees from Somalia came to the Bay Area several years ago to escape the violence of their homeland, to put the terror behind them. But they were shocked to learn in 2002…

Court to decide if former foreign government officials who use torture, rape and killing as tools of repression are above the law, or whether those who avail themselves of all the benefits of living in the U.S. must, like all other Americans, submit themselves to U.S. law.

In the past, CJA has relied on your generous support in bringing justice to Haitian survivors of torture and other man-made disasters. Now, we invite you once again to support the people of Haiti in the worst natural disaster in this troubled nation’s two hundred year history.

Original Guatemalan army records on a scorched-earth campaign known as “Operation Sofia,” presented as evidence in a human rights case in Spain, have bolstered hopes for justice among the relatives of victims of Guatemala’s 36-year civil war in which more than 200,000 people were killed.

2009 has been a defining year for CJA and the broader human rights community. Due to your support and the work of our experienced staff, our impact has been felt around the world. We have secured justice for our clients and celebrated many significant