Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Samantar v. Yousuf

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Docket nos.
  
08-1555

Concurrence
  
Alito

Citations
  
560 U.S. 305 (more)

Date decided
  
2010

Full case name
  
Mohamed Ali Samantar, Petitioner v. Bashe Abdi Yousuf, et al.

Prior history
  
Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Majority
  
Stevens, joined by Roberts, Kennedy, Ginsburg, Breyer, Alito, Sotomayor

Similar
  
Sosa v Alvarez‑Machain, Filártiga v Peña‑Irala, Medellín v Texas, United States v Comstock, Skilling v United States

Samantar v. Yousuf, 560 U.S. 305 (2010), is a decision by the United States Supreme Court concerning whether Muhammad Ali Samatar, prime minister of Somalia under dictator Siad Barre from 1987 to 1990, could be sued in United States courts for allegedly overseeing killings and other atrocities. Samatar now lives in Virginia, and some of his victims had sued him under the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991.

In a previous decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that the former Somalian government official is not covered by, and therefore not entitled to immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. The Court remanded to District Court to determine whether defendant is entitled to common law immunity.

References

Samantar v. Yousuf Wikipedia