Suing Saudi
May. 17th, 2005 03:13 pmhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1485587,00.html
Two British men were spuriously arrested and tortured in Saudi Arabia. Now released they've been allowed to sue the Saudi govt in the British courts, potentially seizing any non-diplomatic-immunitied Saudi assets in payment -- including payment for costs, which they've already been awarded.
I had three successive reactions:
(1) Oh fuck. Sometimes you forget what awful things happen. I hope they succeed.
(2) Who's going to get the job of impounding a Saudi plane? Will they auction it off or what? Your average repo man might be out of his leage here.
(3) It sounds like a good idea *this* way round, but people would scream blue murder if a $Elbonian was arrested in England for murder which wasn't a crime in $Elbonia, and sued our govt for false imprisonment in $Elbonia, and $Elbonia impounded british assets.
Two British men were spuriously arrested and tortured in Saudi Arabia. Now released they've been allowed to sue the Saudi govt in the British courts, potentially seizing any non-diplomatic-immunitied Saudi assets in payment -- including payment for costs, which they've already been awarded.
I had three successive reactions:
(1) Oh fuck. Sometimes you forget what awful things happen. I hope they succeed.
(2) Who's going to get the job of impounding a Saudi plane? Will they auction it off or what? Your average repo man might be out of his leage here.
(3) It sounds like a good idea *this* way round, but people would scream blue murder if a $Elbonian was arrested in England for murder which wasn't a crime in $Elbonia, and sued our govt for false imprisonment in $Elbonia, and $Elbonia impounded british assets.