United Nations in the dock over Haiti Cholera Outbreak

The legal battle by the Haitian victims of a cholera epidemic against the United Nations reached its highest level in court on Tuesday, as lawyers for the plaintiffs have been permitted to argue before a federal appeals panel why they believe the United Nations is not entitled to immunity.

The outcome of the case, in which U.N. peacekeepers are accused of having negligently brought cholera to Haiti after their deployment in 2010 following a disastrous earthquake – could have enormous implications for the United Nations. The global organization has asserted that a 1946 convention on privileges and immunities insulates it from such legal action — a defense that the appellate judges are now weighing.

Read more: New York Times