A human rights group has sued two Somalis who now live in Northern Virginia for committing crimes against humanity.

The Center for Justice has sued Mohamed Ali Samatar and Yusuf Abdi Ali “war crimes and other human rights abuses committed in Somalia in the 1980s during the brutal military regime of Somali dictator Siad Barré.” (The photo is of Barré) The lawsuit is on behalf of a number of victims of the dictatorship. Here’s some details, from this AP story:

One of the lawsuits’ plaintiffs, Bashe Abdi Yousuf, now lives in Atlanta. In 1982 … When he was arrested, he was twice administered electric shocks and on several occasions lost consciousness when his captors would hold his nose shut and pour water down his mouth, the lawsuit alleges.

“I was fortunate to survive, but many others did not,” Bashe said. “I hope the lawsuit sends a message that perpetrators of human rights abuses will be held accountable for their crimes. The United States should not provide a safe haven to individuals who have committed gross human rights abuses.”

The lawsuit against Abdi Ali alleges that he participated in and oversaw beatings and torture of civilians, including beatings of a pregnant woman who miscarried as a result. That woman, who spent six years in prison and whose name is withheld in the lawsuit, is one of the plaintiffs in the case.

See this BBC analysis for more background on politics in Somalia.