Caitlan Coleman, an American citizen, who was imprisoned by the Taliban and the Haqqani Network for five years, has filed a lawsuit against the Taliban in a court in the US state of Pennsylvania.
The purpose of the complaint is to hold the Haqqani Network and the Taliban accountable as two terrorist groups.
Coleman and her husband, who later separated, were kidnapped by the Taliban in 2012. She was seven months pregnant at the time of her captivity. The family was finally liberated from the Taliban’s captivity by Pakistani forces in October 2017 after a clash in a border area.
Motley Rice Law Firm, representing the Coleman family, filed a lawsuit in a district court in Pennsylvania this week. The company said in a statement Friday (November 8) that the lawsuit filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act, addresses alleged acts of international terrorism, assault and battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of severe emotional distress.
The Haqqani Network and the Taliban are both designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) organisations by the US government.
Michael Elsner, an attorney with Motley Rice, commented on the psychological and physical effects of the captivity: "Caitlin’s life will never be the same. She will constantly battle the physical and psychological impacts of her captivity. Even worse, her children who were born while being held hostage will endure and carry this trauma with them for the rest of their lives. The atrocities they endured at the hands of the Haqqani Network and the Taliban are unconscionable. We are committed to holding these groups accountable for their actions."
Coleman gave birth to three children during her incarceration.
The lawsuit states that during their five years in captivity, Coleman's family was subjected to severe physical, psychological and social pressure, and in addition to isolation, they were subjected to constant harassment and terror. "The Haqqani Network and the Taliban used the family as a tool to pressure other countries, including the United States," the statement said.
The lawsuit also brings a claim on behalf of Caitlan’s mother, Lynda Coleman, who tirelessly advocated for her daughter and their safe return.
"Nothing is more precious to me than the safe return of my daughter and grandchildren," Linda was quoted as saying in the statement. Years of worry and ignorance were a daily nightmare for me and my family."
As the main plaintiff in the case, Caitlan Coleman stated, “I am seeking what justice I can for the years of normalcy my children and I lost while being held by the Haqqani Network and Taliban. Three of my children were born in captivity and began their lives in those circumstances. It is important to me to stand up and send a message to terrorist forces abroad – holding Americans hostage is terrorism, and it cannot come without consequences. If there are not repercussions for these criminal and abusive actions, this could be seen as an incentive to do this to other Americans in the future. My thoughts are always with those victims that are still being held by terrorist forces around the world.”
