Anatomy of Torture ― A Documentary History of Filartiga v. Pena Irala

On March 29, 1976, Joelito Filaritgo was tortured and killed in Asuncion, Paraguay by a Paraguayan official. Some four years later, his parents won a landmark judgment against the official under the US Alien Tort Claim Act, opening the door for more human rights litigation in the US courts. In this volume, Aceves (director, international legal studies program, California Western School of Law) presents an analysis and documentary history of the court case, including as sources litigation documents form the Center for Constitutional Rights, US government documents from the National Archives, documents from the Paraguayan government archives, and of course court filings and documents. In addition to collecting these documents, Aceves discusses how the principles established by the case have since been extended and modified by legislation through the Torture Victim Protection Act, the Anti-Terrorism Act, and the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and through litigation on behalf of victims in Argentina, Burma, Chile, Ethiopia, the Philippines, and the former Yugoslavia. Martinus Nijhoff is an imprint of Brill. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

William J. Aceves is a Professor of Law and Director of the International Legal Studies Program at California Western School of Law, where he teaches Civil Procedure, Comparative Law, Foreign Affairs Law, and Human Rights Law. Professor Aceves has written numerous articles on human rights and international law. He frequently works with Amnesty International, the Center for Justice & Accountability, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the American Civil Liberties Union on projects involving the domestic application of international law. Professor Aceves has also represented several human rights and civil liberties organizations asamicus curiae counsel in cases before the federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.