The UN rejected claims for compensation from victims of the Haiti cholera epidemic, citing immunity from legal claims under conventions. Families are demanding millions in damages, accusing the UN of introducing cholera through poor sanitation at a peacekeeping camp. A lawyer for the victims said the case will now be pursued in Haitian courts, challenging the UN's right to immunity when it has not established an alternative accountability mechanism as required.

1. UN rejects claims
from cholera victims
Barbara Plett reports for the BBC

2. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
In a terse statement
the spokesman for the UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon
said the damages claim
was 'not receivable'

3. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
under a convention
that grants
United Nations
immunity
for its actions.

4. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
Families of the victims
are demanding
millions of dollars in
compensation
accusing the UN of
introducing
the disease to Haiti.

5. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
The UN has never
admitted responsibility,
despite mounting
evidence
that the epidemic
was caused

6. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
by poor sanitation
at a
peacekeeping camp.

7. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
A lawyer for
the cholera victims
told the BBC that
UN immunity
could not mean impunity,

8. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
and said the case would now
be pursued in a national court.

9. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
The lawyer, Brian Concannon
said the victims' legal team
would challenge
the UN's right
to immunity
from Haitian courts

10. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
on the grounds that
it hadn't established
an alternative mechanism
for dealing with
accountability issues,
as stipulated in its agreement
with
the government.

11. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
He also said lifting immunity
would not challenge UN policy,
which is protected by the
convention, but its practice

12. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
such as how to test troops
for disease
and properly
dispose of sewage.

13. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
There's evidence that
infected
Nepalese peacekeepers caused
the epidemic by dumping
untreated waste
into a key river system,

14. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
but the UN insists
it's impossible
to pinpoint blame definitively.

15. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
Late last year
it launched an initiative
to eliminate cholera
in Haiti
by investing
in clean drinking water
and sanitation systems,

16. UN rejects claims from cholera victims
a move Mr Concannon said
he considered
an unofficial response
to the victims' claims.

17. Barbara Plett reports
for the BBC
22 February 2013