Khartoum - Arab Today
Sudan condemned on Tuesday a US law that would allow families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to sue governments for damages, saying it undermined state sovereignty and could provoke reciprocal legislation.
Its government is among dozens of defendants named in a 2002 lawsuit filed by families of Sept. 11 victims.
The US Senate and House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly last Wednesday to approve the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism (JASTA) legislation, which grants an exception to the legal principle of sovereign immunity in cases of terrorism on US soil. “This act clearly violates the sovereignty and immunity of states and could lead the world into legislative chaos,” a statement from Sudan’s presidency said.
“Sudan would not rule out several other countries drafting laws to lift sovereign immunity against countries that have laws which do not respect sovereign immunity, based on the principal of reciprocal treatment.”
The legislation will allow the families of those killed in the 2001 attacks on the United States to seek damages from the Saudi government.
Source: Arab News