The US Supreme Court has ruled (unanimously) that organizations cannot be (sued for) the torture of American citizens under the Torture Victim Protection Act. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports the court's decision came in the case of a US citizen who is allegedly (imprisoned), tortured and killed while in the custody of the Palestinian Authority.
Azzam Muhammad Rahim (immigrated to) the US in the 1970s and became a US citizen. In 1995, while on a visit to his home village on the West Bank, he was (taken into custody) by Palestinian Authority intelligence officers, imprisoned, tortured and killed. The US State Department issued a report concluding he died while in custody. His family living in the US filed suit against the Palestinian Authority and the PLO under the Torture Victim Protection Act. But today the Supreme Court ruled that federal law authorizes suits only against individuals and not against (organizations). Nina Tobenberg, NPR News, Washington.