"Human Rights USA files lawsuit against Yahoo! Inc. and its subsidiaries for the U.S. internet company's complicity in human rights abuses and acts of torture in China.""1. Plaintiffs have been subjected to grave violations of some of the most universally
recognized standards of international law, including prohibitions against torture, cruel, inhuman,
or other degrading treatment or punishment, and arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention, for
exercising their right of freedom of speech, association, and assembly, at the hands of
Defendants through Chinese officials acting under color of law in the People’s Republic of China
(referred to herein as “the PRC” or “China”).
2. To commit these violations of specific, universal, and obligatory standards of
international law, Defendants willingly provided Chinese officials with access to private e-mail
records, copies of email messages, e-mail addresses, user ID numbers, and other identifying
information about the Plaintiffs and the nature and content of their use of electronic
communications. This information, available only to the Defendants, was voluntarily provided
to Chinese officials by Defendants Yahoo! Inc., its agents, wholly-owned subsidiaries Yahoo!
HK and Yahoo! China, and its strategic partner Alibaba.com, Corp., and served as the basis for
the acts of persecution and torture that followed as a direct result of the Defendant’s activities.
By providing this information to the PRC, Defendants knowingly and willfully aided and abetted
in the commission of torture and other major abuses violating international law that caused
Plaintiffs’ severe physical and mental suffering..."
The causes of action:"CAUSES OF ACTION
48. Plaintiffs’ causes of action arise under and violate the following laws, agreements,
conventions, resolutions, and treaties:
(a) Alien Tort Statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1350;
(b) Torture Victim Protection Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1350;
(c) Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment G.A. res. 39/46, annex, 39 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 51) at 197, U.N.
Doc. A/39/51 (1984), entered into force June 26, 1987;
(d) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, G.A. res. 2200A (XXI), 21
U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 16) at 52, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171,
entered into force Mar. 23, 1976;
(e) Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) G.A. res. 217A (III), U.N. Doc
A/810 at 71;
(f) Charter of the United Nations (1945) adopted June 26, 1945, 59 Stat. 1031, T.S.
993, 3 Bevans 1153 (entered into force October 24, 1945);
(f) The Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2701, § 2702, and
§2511; and
(g) Statutes and common law of the State of California, including but not limited to
assault and battery, false imprisonment, negligence, intentional infliction of
emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and unfair business
practices."
See the website. The document of the lawsuit is in *.pdf
http://www.humanrightsusa.org/