Short v Iran

State responsibility  Short v. Iran

16 Iran-USCTR 76 (1987) Iran-United States Claims Tribunal Background

About !"### United States nationals le$t Iran durin% t&e $our mont& period ('tober  1978 t&rou%& ebruary 1979) o$ t&e Islami re*olution in t&at ountry +&i& +as aompanied by intense anti-United States sentiment and ats o$ *iolene a%ainst United States o+ned property and United States nationals, T&e present ase" +&i& +as in t&e nature o$ a test ase" +as $iled by t&e United States a%ainst Iran in respet o$ t&e alle%ed +ron%$ul e.pulsion/ $rom Iran o$ a United States States nation national" al" Al$red S&ort" S&ort" +it& +it& onse0 onse0uen uential tial loss loss o$ person personal al proper property ty and employment inome, r S&ort ommened employment +it& a United States o+ned ompany in Iran in April 1977, 1977, 2e alle%ed t&at t&at $ollo+in% $ollo+in% t&e onset onset o$ t&e Islami re*olution re*olution in late 1978 and t&e subse0uent delaration o$ martial la+ &e +as *irtually under &ouse arrest" li*in% +it& pro%ressi*ely inreasin% stress aused by *e&ement t&reats a%ainst t&e li*es o$ Amerians" Amerians" s&ootin% in t&e streets" $irebombin% $irebombin% o$ Amerian Amerian &omes &omes and automobiles" and ot&er *iolene propa%ated by re*olutionaries a%ainst Amerians/, r S&ort +as e*auated in &aste $rom Iran by t&e United States Air ore in ebruary 1979, The Tribunal …

39, 4 5T&e preliminary issue t&at &as to be deided is +&et&er +&et&er t&e $ats in*oed by by t&e Claimant 5r S&ort as &a*in% aused &is departure $rom Iran are attributable to Iran" eit&er diretly" or indiretly as a result o$ its deliberate poliies" or +&et&er t&ey re*eal re*eal a la o$ due dili%e dili%ene ne in meetin meetin% % Iran Irans intern internati ationa onall duties duties to+ard to+ardss t&e Claimant, #, In t&e lassial ase t&e e.pulsion o$ an alien is e$$eted by a le%al order issued by t&e State aut&orities obli%atin% t&e alien to lea*e t&e &ost ountry or ot&er+ise be $orib $oribly ly remo*ed, remo*ed, An e.pulsio e.pulsion n an also be t&e result result o$ a $orib $orible le ation ation o$ t&e  polie or ot&er state or%an not aut&ori:ed by a le%al order issued by t&e ompetent aut&or aut&oritie ities, s, inall inally y" an alien alien may also be onsidere onsidered d +ron%$ +ron%$ull ully y e.pell e.pelled ed in t&e absene o$ any order or spei$i state ation" +&en" in t&e irumstanes o$ t&e ase" t&e alien ould reasonably be re%arded as &a*in% no ot&er &oie t&an to lea*e and +&en t&e ats leadin% leadin% to &is departure +ere attributable attributable to t&e State, T&e ommon ommon t&read is t&at t&e international responsibility o$ a State an be en%a%ed +&ere t&e irumstanes irumstanes or e*ents e*ents ausin% t&e departur departuree o$ t&e alien are attributable attributable to it, 'n t&e ot&er &and" to assume t&at all t&e departures o$ all aliens o$ a ertain nationality $rom a ountry" durin% a ertain period o$ politial turmoil" +ould be attributable to t&e State" unless t&e State is able to demonstrate t&e ontrary" +ould ontradit t&e  priniples and rules o$ t&e international responsibility o$ States,

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3 1, In e.aminin% +&et&er t&e Claimants departure $rom Iran +as due to ats or  irumstanes attributable to t&e Respondent 5Iran" t&e Tribunal &as to tae into aount t&e e.istene o$ a re*olutionary situation in Iran durin% t&e period under  onsideration, T&e reports t&at many t&ousands o$ Iranians lost t&eir li*es in t&e ourse o$ t&ese re*olutionary e*ents is an indiator o$ t&e ma%nitude o$ t&e turmoil assoiated +it& t&e Re*olution, As a result o$ t&is turmoil" t&e suessi*e %o*ernments appointed by t&e S&a& lost ontrol o*er e*ents and t&e last o$ t&em +as e*entually o*ert&ro+n, >&ile t&e re*olution +as direted a%ainst t&e S&a&s re%ime t&e re*olutionaries belie*ed t&at t&e Amerian %o*ernment +as responsible $or  maintainin% &im in po+er, T&e stron% anti-Amerian sentiment doumented in t&e Claimants atual emorial +as t&e onse0uene o$ t&is belie$" and %a*e to Amerians present in Iran reason to belie*e t&at t&eir li*es +ere in dan%er, T&is also e.plains +&y t&e Amerian Ambassador in Te&ran and U,S, employers in Iran stron%ly ur%ed dependants o$ U,S, employees and ot&er non-essential Amerians to lea*e Iran, 4 , >&ere a re*olution leads to t&e establis&ment o$ a ne+ %o*ernment t&e State is &eld responsible $or t&e ats o$ t&e o*ert&ro+n %o*ernment inso$ar as t&e latter  maintained ontrol o$ t&e situation, T&e suessor %o*ernment is also &eld responsible $or t&e ats imputable to t&e re*olutionary mo*ement +&i& establis&ed it" e*en i$ t&ose ats ourred prior to its establis&ment" as a onse0uene o$ t&e ontinuity e.istin% bet+een t&e ne+ or%ani:ation o$ t&e State and t&e or%ani:ation o$  t&e re*olutionary mo*ement, 4 T&ese rules are o$ deisi*e importane in t&e present Case" sine t&e Claimant departed $rom Iran on 8 ebruary 1979" a $e+ days be$ore t&e prolamation on 11 ebruary o$ t&e Islami Re*olutionary ?o*ernment, At t&at time" t&e re*olutionary mo*ement &ad not yet been able to establis& ontrol o*er any  part o$ Iranian territory" and t&e ?o*ernment &ad demonstrated its loss o$ ontrol, , T&e Claimant relies on ats ommitted by re*olutionaries and sees to attribute responsibility $or t&eir ats to t&e %o*ernment t&at +as establis&ed $ollo+in% t&e suess o$ t&e Re*olution, 2e is unable" &o+e*er" to identi$y any a%ent o$ t&e re*olutionary mo*ement" t&e ations o$ +&i& ompelled &im to lea*e Iran, T&e ats o$ supporters o$ a re*olution annot be attributed to t&e %o*ernment $ollo+in% t&e suess o$ t&e re*olution @ust as t&e ats o$ supporters o$ an e.istin% %o*ernment are not attributable to t&e %o*ernment, T&is +as learly realled by t&e International Court o$ ustie in United States Diplomatic and Consular Staff in Tehran   (United States *, Iran)" 198# IC " 39" para !8 (ud%ment o$ 3 ay 198#), T&e Court $ound t&at t&e ondut o$ t&e militants +&en t&ey e.euted t&eir atta on t&e U,S, Bmbassy and sei:ed its personnel as &osta%es mi%&t be onsidered as itsel$ diretly imputable to t&e Iranian State only i$ it +ere establis&ed t&at" in $at" on t&e oasion in 0uestion" t&e militants ated on be&al$ o$ t&e State" &a*in% been &ar%ed by some ompetent or%an o$ t&e Iranian State to arry out a spei$i operation/, !, T&e Claimants reliane on t&e delarations made by t&e leader o$ t&e Re*olution" Ayatolla& &omeini" and ot&er spoesmen o$ t&e re*olutionary mo*ement" also la  t&e essential in%redient as bein% t&e ause $or t&e Claimants departure in irumstanes amountin% to an e.pulsion, >&ile t&ese statements are o$ anti-$orei%n and in partiular anti-Amerian sentiment" t&e Tribunal notes t&at t&ese  pronounements +ere o$ a %eneral nature and did not spei$y t&at Amerians s&ould  be e.pelled en masse, 'n t&is issue also it is +ort&+&ile to 0uote t&e International

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 Court o$ ustie in t&e @ud%ment @ust re$erred to, T&e Court reo%ni:ed t&at prior to t&e atta a%ainst t&e U,S, Bmbassy t&e Ayatolla& &omeini" t&e reli%ious leader o$  t&e ountry" &ad made se*eral publi delarations in*ei%&in% a%ainst t&e United States as responsible $or all &is ountrys problems/, T&e Court +ent on to 0uote a spei$i messa%e o$ t&e Ayatolla& &omeini delarin% on 1 Do*ember 1979 t&at it +as up to t&e dear pupils" students and t&eolo%ial students to e.pand +it& all t&eir mi%&t t&eir  attas a%ainst t&e United States and Israel" so t&ey may $ore t&e United States to return t&e deposed and riminal S&a&" and to ondemn t&is %reat plot/, 198# IC at 39" para !9, De*ert&eless" t&e Court $ound t&at it +ould be %oin% too $ar to interpret su& %eneral delarations 4 as amountin% to an aut&ori:ation $rom t&e State to undertae t&e spei$i operation o$ in*adin% and sei:in% t&e United States Bmbassy/,  Id , At #" para !9, Similarly" it annot be said t&at t&e delarations re$erred to by t&e Claimant amounted to an aut&ori:ation to re*olutionaries to at in su& a +ay t&at t&e Claimant s&ould be $ored to lea*e Iran $ort&+it&, Dor is t&ere any e*idene t&at any ation prompted by su& statements +as t&e ause o$ t&e Claimants deision to lea*e Iran, In t&ese irumstanes" t&e Tribunal is o$ t&e *ie+ t&at t&e Claimant &as $ailed to pro*e t&at &is departure $rom Iran an be imputed to t&e +ron%$ul ondut o$ Iran, T&e laim is t&ere$ore dismissed,  EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE 

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