CJA In The News

Washington…Victims of torture at the hands of foreign government officials won a victory in the Supreme Court Tuesday, when the justices ruled federal law does not automatically shield ex-officials from being sued for ordering killings and the abuse of prisoners.

The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP filed a lawsuit on behalf of constitutional law professor Abukar Hassan Ahmed who was imprisoned and tortured in Somalia during the brutal regime of Siad Barre.

Columbus, OH (HOL) – The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP have filed a lawsuit against the former chief of Somali National Security Service (NSS). The lawsuit alleges that Col. Abdi Aden Magan ordered the detention and torture of a professor and human rights lawyer in 1988.

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.