Supreme Court to Review Cisco Human Rights Case
- The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving Cisco Systems and allegations of aiding China in persecuting the Falun Gong movement.
- The lawsuit, first filed in 2011, claims Cisco knowingly provided surveillance technology used against practitioners.
- At stake is not only Cisco’s liability but also the broader reach of U.S. laws governing corporate responsibility for human rights abuses abroad.
Background of the Lawsuit
Cisco faces accusations that it helped China’s government track and suppress members of Falun Gong, a spiritual movement banned in China since 1999. The plaintiffs argue that Cisco designed and implemented the “Golden Shield” surveillance system, which allegedly enabled authorities to locate and detain practitioners. They claim this assistance amounted to aiding torture and other abuses under both the Alien Tort Statute and the Torture Victim Protection Act. Cisco has rejected the allegations, stating its technology sales to China complied with U.S. trade policy.
The case has had a long and complex history in U.S. courts. Initially dismissed in 2014 for lacking sufficient ties to the United States, it was revived in 2023 by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. That ruling found the plaintiffs had plausibly alleged Cisco knowingly provided essential support to China’s crackdown. The Supreme Court will now examine whether aiding and abetting claims can proceed under the statutes cited.
Wider Implications
The Alien Tort Statute, dating back to 1789, has been used since the 1980s to bring international human rights cases in U.S. courts. Its scope has been narrowed in recent years, including a 2018 ruling that foreign corporations cannot be sued under the statute for abuses overseas. However, U.S. companies remain potential defendants, making the Cisco case significant for future corporate accountability. The Supreme Court is expected to deliver a ruling by the end of June.
Falun Gong, founded in China in 1992, combines meditation, moral teachings, and controversial beliefs promoted by its leader Li Hongzhi. The movement’s rapid growth led to a major protest in Beijing in 1999, after which the Chinese Communist Party banned it and labeled it a threat to national stability. Falun Gong practitioners later established The Epoch Times, a U.S.-based media outlet critical of the Chinese government. The case against Cisco highlights how technology firms can become entangled in global human rights disputes, raising questions about the responsibilities of corporations when their products are used in repressive contexts.
