Overview
- International Rights Advocates filed the complaint in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief without monetary damages or class certification.
- The suit alleges Apple’s supply chain still includes cobalt, tin, tantalum and tungsten tied to child and forced labour and to armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
- Plaintiffs name three Chinese smelters—Ningxia Orient, JiuJiang JinXin and Jiujiang Tanbre—citing U.N. and Global Witness findings that coltan was smuggled through Rwanda after armed groups seized mines.
- Apple denies wrongdoing, points to full third‑party audit participation by identified smelters and refiners in 2024, says there is no reasonable basis to conclude financing of armed groups, and told suppliers in June 2024 to stop sourcing 3TG from the DRC and Rwanda.
- The action follows mixed outcomes in related cases, including a U.S. dismissal last year, French prosecutors dropping a case in December, and a Belgian criminal complaint that remains under investigation.