Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991
United States law / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991 (TVPA; Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 102–256, H.R. 2092, 106 Stat. 73, enacted March 12, 1992) is a US statute that allows for the filing of civil suits in the United States against individuals who, acting in an official capacity for any foreign nation, committed torture and/or extrajudicial killing. The statute requires a plaintiff to show exhaustion of local remedies in the location of the crime, to the extent that such remedies are "adequate and available." Plaintiffs may be U.S. citizens or non-U.S. citizens.
Quick Facts Long title, Acronyms (colloquial) ...
Long title | An Act to carry out obligations of the United States under the United Nations Charter and other international agreements pertaining to the protection of human rights by establishing a civil action for recovery of damages from an individual who engages in torture or extrajudicial killing. |
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Acronyms (colloquial) | TVPA |
Enacted by | the 102nd United States Congress |
Effective | March 12, 1992 |
Citations | |
Public law | 102-256 |
Statutes at Large | 106 Stat. 73 |
Codification | |
Titles amended | 28 U.S.C.: Judiciary and Judicial Procedure |
U.S.C. sections amended | 28 U.S.C. ch. 85 § 1350 |
Legislative history | |
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United States Supreme Court cases | |
Mohamad v. Palestinian Authority, 566 U.S. 449 (2012) |
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Although the Act was not passed until early 1992, it was introduced the previous year, and the official name of the Act is the "Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991."