Three Eritrean men filed a civil lawsuit...in a Vancouver court against Nevsun Resources…over the use of slave labour at Nevsun’s Bisha Mine in Eritrea. The men allege that Nevsun’s local contractor, Segen Construction Company,…owned by the Eritrean government’s ruling party, forced them to work on projects at the mine under abhorrent conditions and that Nevsun expressly or implicitly approved the use of slave labour, a practice alleged to be so widespread and inhumane that it constitutes crimes against humanity...The lawsuit alleges that Nevsun knew or should have known that Segen had been implicated in slave labour and that in hiring Segen for the Bisha project – Nevsun’s only operating mine – there was a high risk slave labour would be used...The suit against Nevsun represents the fifth active case of its kind in Canadian courts...It is one of the first human rights lawsuits in Canada to assert claims based directly on international law.