EarthRights International is pleased to announce the launch of Corporate Accountability Now, a new campaign focused on the Kiobel [2] and Mohamad [3] cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, which will decide whether corporations can be sued for their participation in torture and crimes against humanity. The campaign centers around a website, corporateaccountabilitynow.org [4], which hosts resources on the issue of corporate responsibility for serious human rights abuses. The website includes basic case documents, background information on the cases and the law, information for media and other interested parties, and suggestions for those seeking to support efforts to promote corporate accountability.

Kiobel and Mohamad will be heard at the Supreme Court on February 28, 2012. In Kiobel, the Supreme Court will decide whether corporations can be sued under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), the law that allows suits in the U.S. for violations of international law. Many of ERI's cases against corporations, including Doe v. Unocal [5],Wiwa v. Shell [6], and Doe v. Chiquita [7], were filed under the ATS. In Mohamad, the Court will decide whether organizations can be sued under the Torture Victim Protection Act; ERI's case Bowoto v. Chevron [8]also presents this question, and Bowoto is currently being held by the Supreme Court while Mohamad is under consideration.

Corporate Accountability Now is a joint project of EarthRights International, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the Human Rights Litigation and International Legal Advocacy Clinic at the University of Minnesota Law School.