US-based Kurds sue Saddam in US court News
US-based Kurds sue Saddam in US court

[JURIST] Two Iraqi Kurds now living in the US, Hassen Ali Abdullah and Khalida Ali, have sued Saddam Hussein [JURIST news archive] in US federal court, seeking compensation for Kurdish victims of genocidal attacks in 1980s Iraq. The class action suit was filed on behalf of all Kurds who lived in northern Iraq from 1987 to 1989 and any children that have been born to them since 1987. Information about the suit comes as the Hussein's trial on charges stemming from 1982 massacre in Dujail [JURIST report] began in an Iraqi tribunal, though proceedings have been adjourned until November 28 [JURIST report]. The two San Diego residents and their children are seeking unspecified monetary damages from Hussein and one of his senior generals, Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as "Chemical Ali." The defendants say that some of the money would be used to pay for treating alleged exposure to chemical, radiological and biological weapons. The lawsuit is based on the Alien Tort Claims Act [text], which allows citizens of foreign countries to file US lawsuits for human rights abuses that occurred outside the US. AP has more.