Posted by Tina
US court allows apartheid cases Al Jazeera
** A US court has ruled that victims of South Africa’s apartheid-era government can sue General Motors, IBM and other corporations accused of complicity in human rights abuses. *** A federal judge in New York ruled on
Wednesday that joint actions against the corporations under a US law allowing rights claims from abroad should be addressed in a US court. *** Car-makers Ford and Daimler and defence firm Rheinmetall are the other companies set to face legal action from South African plaintiffs. *** Michael Hausfeld, one of the lawyers representing the South African plaintiffs, said the verdict was “a major advancement in international law” *** The lawsuits argue that the car-makers knew their vehicles were being used by South African forces to violently suppress protests. **