The US Supreme Court is set to hear a case against Cisco Systems for allegedly aiding the Chinese Communist Party’s surveillance and persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Human rights groups support the victims, calling for corporate accountability.
The United States Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on April 28, 2026, in the case of Cisco Systems, Inc. v. Doe I, a major legal battle that could determine whether a leading American technology company can be held accountable for allegedly assisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in surveillance and persecution campaigns targeting religious and ethnic minorities in China, according to a press release issued by the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP).
As cited by UHRP, the case centres on allegations that Cisco, from its headquarters in San Jose, California, designed and helped develop a custom-built surveillance system intended to facilitate the CCP’s repression of Falun Gong practitioners. Victims of alleged persecution claim that Cisco’s actions amounted to “aiding and abetting” the Chinese government’s human rights abuses, including torture.
Human Rights Groups Demand Accountability
UHRP stated that it has filed an amicus brief in support of the victims bringing the case, arguing that corporations contributing to China’s surveillance apparatus must be held responsible. “Corporations that serve the Chinese government’s surveillance state must be held accountable,” said UHRP Executive Director Omer Kanat in the statement. He added that Uyghurs and other victims of what UHRP described as the CCP’s police state are looking to the Supreme Court for justice.
UHRP’s amicus brief was joined by several human rights and accountability organisations, including Human Rights in China, No Business with Genocide, the Human Trafficking Legal Center, and Corporate Accountability Lab. UHRP said that for more than two decades, bipartisan majorities in the US Congress have repeatedly condemned the CCP’s human rights abuses. However, the organisation argued that certain American corporations operating in China have simultaneously facilitated abuses against ethnic and religious minorities, including Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetans, and Uyghurs, by helping construct surveillance systems and supporting broader state security and military-industrial structures.
Legal Stakes and Potential Consequences
The press release stated that the victims are asking the Supreme Court to uphold both the language of the ATS and existing judicial precedent in order to allow the case to proceed. UHRP and supporting organisations argued that a ruling in Cisco’s favour would effectively block foreign victims of internationally condemned abuses from seeking justice in US courts, even in cases involving conduct contrary to US foreign policy. (ANI)
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