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Iran Found Guilty of Supporting Terrorism (March 11, 1998)
Court Finds Iran Guilty of Supporting Terrorism:
Awards $247.5 Million in Largest Ever Judgment to
Send Message to State Sponsors of Terror Groups
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: James Colbert
(202) 833-0020
WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 11, 1998 - In a landmark ruling, Judge Royce
Lamberth of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. has found the
government of the Islamic Republic of Iran guilty of supporting the terrorist
group that murdered American student Alisa Flatow. That group, the Shikaki
Faction of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was shown to have received an
average of $2 million annually from Iran at the time of the murder. Judge
Lamberth awarded the family of Miss Flatow $225 million in punitive damages
and $22.5 million in compensatory damages, the largest personal injury suit
ever awarded in the United States.
“JINSA has long been active in the fight for tougher and more comprehensive
laws against terrorism and the states that sponsor terrorist groups, said
Thomas Neumann, executive director of the Jewish Institute for National
Security Affairs (JINSA). “We are extremely pleased by the court’s decision.
This judgment strengthens the hand of justice in the fight against terrorism,”
Neumann added. “It is something for which JINSA has long worked.”
The suit was brought before Judge Lamberth by Washington lawyer Steven Perles,
representing the family of Miss Flatow. On April 9, 1996, Alisa Flatow, a
20-year-old honor student at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, was traveling
by public bus from Israel to the beach town of Kfar Darom in the Gaza Strip.
In a premeditated act, a member of the Shikaki Faction detonated an
explosives-packed van next to the bus killing and grievously wounding the
bus’s occupants. Miss Flatow was among those killed in the explosion which
also included the van’s driver.
In the trial, clear and convincing evidence was presented to establish Iran as
the principal financial backer of the Shikaki Faction. Furthermore, it was
demonstrated that Iran maintains a line item for external terrorism in the
budget of the Ministry of Information and Security. The documents that prove
that the ministry maintains such a budget are sealed by court order but they
indicate that the amount set aside for terror operations by the Iranian
government fluctuates between $75 and $100 million annually.
The Iranian government was found guilty of sponsoring a terrorist organization
under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. That act was amended in April 1996
to provide for civil jurisdiction for citizens to initiate a lawsuit against
responsible foreign nations. The so-called Flatow Amendment, attached to the
Act in September 1996, provided for punitive damages and made the Act a viable
tool in the war against terrorism by deterring foreign nations from continuing
their support.
The strengthening of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act became a reality due
to the tireless efforts of chief sponsor Representative Jim Saxton (R-NJ), the
chairman of the House Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare. Rep.
Henry Hyde (R-IL), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, joined Rep.
Saxton in the fight for congressional passage of the amendments. In the
Senate, success was due to Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Alfonse
D’Amato (R-NY).
“We have long worked closely with Congressman Saxton and his terrific staff on
the terrorism issue,” Neumann said. “His courageous and farsighted efforts
were crucial in convincing his congressional colleagues to make these
jurisdiction and sentencing changes to the law.”
JINSA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian organization devoted to
educating the American public about the vital importance of a capable U.S.
defense policy. It is also committed to explaining the link between U.S.
national security and Israel’s security, and to strengthening both.
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