Light at the end of the tunnel Nepalis killed in Iraq in 2004 BY SURESH NATH NEUPANE WASHINGTON DC, April 20 - Many remember the cold-blooded murder of 12 Nepalis in Iraq in August 2004. But even more so for the subsequent riots the incident sparked in Kathmandu. The gruesome killing of Nepalis, taped and put on the internet, were played by local TV stations over and over. That was nearly five years ago. On Saturday, the attorney of the law firm that filed a case against the American company for  alleged involvement in the trafficking of 12 Nepalis said he was optimistic about victory. The former Peace Corps volunteer Mathew Handley, who is the lead attorney of Cohen Milstein law firm, said he is “hopeful” the court will give a verdict in favour of the Nepalis killed by Iraqi insurgents. The lawsuit against Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) and its subcontractors was originally filed in California in August. The company and its subcontractors were accused of human trafficking that forced the 12 Nepalis to go to Iraq for work against their will.  “The defendant, KBR, which has its headquarters in Texas, has transferred the case to Houston, Texas,” said Handley. “It is still pending and we are hopeful that we will win the case.” “Despite lack of adequate resources, we, with our team, are all set to give our best chance to win the case,” he said at a programme organised by Washington-Nepal Forum in Washington, DC. Last year, the law firm tasted partial success when the US Administrative Law Court for the Department of Labor ordered monthly compensation to the families of nine of the 12 victims. The court, in its verdict, had ordered monthly compensation of US$ 230 to 250 to each spouse and set of parents of the slain workers with additional US$75 for orphaned children. The other part of the complaint filed at the court is against human trafficking under the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA).  Since recovery under DBA requires no allegation of human trafficking or wrongdoing, Handley said, “The combined approach of both DBA and TVPA would be the best means to compensate the individuals for both work-related and trafficking-related injuries.” According to him, the hearing in Texas court is expected to begin in a couple of months. An Islamist group, the Army of Ansar al-Sunna, took the Nepali workers hostage before brutally killing them on Aug. 20, 2004. Posted on: 2009-04-19 22:47:52 (Server Time)