International Law and Accountability

al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City after being bombed by the Israeli Military.

As citizens of an increasingly interconnected world, it is critical that all nations, the United States especially, recognize and incorporate the norms of international law into their systems of justice. CCR pioneered the use of the Alien Tort Statute to prosecute human rights abuses committed abroad in U.S. courts and has created a body of law that helps to hold foreign officials and corporations accountable to the public. We have also brought cases against U.S. officials in foreign courts under the principle of Universal Jurisdiction, which is based in the belief that some crimes are so heinous that they defy national boundaries.

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Monitor the trial of Toto Constant

Toto Constant has spent the past 14 years – in Haiti and in the…

Volunteer Day

We always welcome having friends and allies come in and help us stay in touch…

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Video: CCR's case Against Blackwater

CCR President Michael Ratner on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" discussing CCR's case against private military contractor Blackwater.

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Video: CNN profile of Maher Arar

"Anderson Cooper 360" profiles Torture survivor Maher Arar and probes into the United States direct role in his rendiiton to and torture in Syria.

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Our Cases »

Mamani, et al. v. Sánchez de Lozada / Mamani, et al. v. Sánchez Berzain

Mamani, et al. v. Sánchez de Lozada and Mamani, et al. v. Sánchez Berzain are two cases filed aginst the former President of Bolivia Gonzalo Daniel Sánchez de Lozada Sánchez Bustamante and the former Minister…

French War Crimes Complaint Against Donald Rumsfeld, et al.

This is a complaint filed in France by CCR and European human rights organizations against former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld for ordering and authorizing torture.

New Abu Ghraib Torture Claims Filed Against Military Contractors

Los Angeles, California, May 5, 2008 – New torture claims have been leveled at two U.S. military contractors by a former Abu Ghraib “ghost” detainee who was wrongly imprisoned and later released without charge, according to a lawsuit filed today… Read More >>

Notorious Haitian Human Rights Abuser to Stand Trial for Mortgage Fraud in New York

Brooklyn, NY, May 6, 2008 - Today, The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the International Support Haiti Network (ISHN) joined members of the New York City Council and representatives of Haitian human rights groups, Dwa Fanm, International Action Network… Read More >>

Doe v. Constant

The case was filed on behalf of three Haitian women who were brutally tortured by FRAPH. Two of the three plaintiffs were gang-raped in front of their families. A third was attacked by two FRAPH operatives and left for dead.… Read More >>

Xuncax v. Gramajo and Ortiz v. Gramajo

Xuncax v. Gramajo and Ortiz v. Gramajo are two civil damages suits filed on behalf of Guatemalans, all Kanjobal Indians who were brutalized themselves, lost loved ones, and lived in highland villages demolished by Gramajo’s soldiers. They charge former Defense… Read More >>