U.S. Appellate Court Affirms Limits on Suing Foreign Sovereigns for Human Rights Abuses

On January 16, 2004, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously affirmed a lower court dismissal of a case against Iran for alleged human rights crimes perpetrated on a U.S. person. The decision significantly shows other cases alleging alleged international human rights crimes will be more difficult to bring against foreign sovereigns.