U.S. Senator Susan Collins, ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, has cosponsored a bipartisan bill, authored by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), that would help victims go after state sponsors of terrorism in court. This legislation is particularly important as a result of today’s federal court decision to award $2.65 billion to the families of American service members killed in an attack on a U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983.
“The families and loved ones of those American service members killed in Beirut nearly 25 years ago have waited a very long time for today’s ruling,” said Senator Collins. “Countries that sponsor terrorism must be held accountable. Unfortunately, while this ruling will allow those families to try and collect Iranian assets, actually doing so will be difficult. This legislation will help them do so.”
The legislation known as, The Justice for Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act, would close a loophole in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) to enable American victims of terrorism to go after state sponsors of terrorism in court.
Specifically, the bill would:
· reaffirm the rights of plaintiffs to sue state sponsors of terrorism;
· allow the seizure of hidden commercial assets belonging to terrorist states so victims of terrorism can be justly compensated;
· limit the number of appeals that a terrorist state can pursue in U.S. courts; and
· provide foreign nationals working for the U.S. government these same benefits if they are victimized in a terrorist attack during their official duties.
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