Washington Should Always Be Welcoming to Dissidents
A Trump-era libel lawsuit could make it more risky for dissenters to come to the U.S. to tell their story.
Dissidents should always be welcome in Washington.
Photographer: Emil Christensen/Keystone/Hulton Archive
Imagine a future in which foreign dissidents traveling to Washington are sued by their governments in U.S. courts for defamation. A federal court may be on the verge of making this nightmare a reality.
Last month a group of human-rights organizations, including the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice and Freedom House, filed amicus briefs urging the U.S. District Court in Washington not to narrow what is known as the “government contacts exception.” That is a longstanding rule that says people who petition the federal government cannot be sued in the District of Columbia if they reside elsewhere. The court is now considering whether this rule applies to foreign citizens and their wider activities in Washington, such as meeting journalists or attending conferences.