U.S: High Court Rejects Ex-Somali Official’s Case

Washington 13 Jan 2014 (SDN) –The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a former top official in Somalia who has been ordered to pay Somali torture victims $21 million.

The justices did not comment Monday in letting stand lower court rulings against Mohamed Ali Samantar, who now lives the Virginia suburbs of Washington. He had previously been a top official in dictator Siad Barre’s regime in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Federal courts found that Samantar could be held liable for human rights abuses and rejected claims that he should be immune because he was an official of a foreign government.

Source: AP