United States: Serb leader fined for rapes

Off Our Backs, Oct 2000 by Eastlick, Megan, Roberson, Amaya

WASHINGTON--Fifteen Asian women who survived World War II rape camps set up by the Japanese Imperial Military, forced to serve as so-called comfort women, will sue Japan in U.S. courts. The class action suit was filed September 18 in U.S. District Court under the Alien Tort Claims act, an 18th century U.S. law that grants foreign citizens the right to sue in U.S. courts for abuses of international law. The suit was prompted by the success of Bosnian Muslim women in winning a suit in U.S. courts against Bosnian Serb Radovan Karadzic, who was responsible for genocide, rape, and torture during the war in Bosnia. (See other story, this page.)

The Washington Coalition for Comfort Women Issues (WCCW) released a statement saying the Japanese murdered tens of thousands of "comfort women" and that those who survived suffered throughout their lives as a result of their years as sexual slaves.

WCCW estimates that the suit will cost the Japanese government billions of dollars.

--info from Agence France Press, 9/18