Os abusos da Shell / Shell's abbuses

Shell pagará 11 milhões de euros por abusos na Nigéria.

A gigante do petróleo holandesa concorda em pagar uma indenização para evitar uma ação judicial pela cumplicidade na execução de nove ecologitas em 1995. Quer dizer, a empresa compra a sua impunidade criminal.

A petrolífera anglo-holandesa Royal Dutch Shell concordou em pagar uma indenização de US$ 15 milhões para se safar de uma ação criminal por cumplicidade no assassinato de nove ativistas ogonis, na Nigéria, nos anos 90,condenados à morte durante a ditadura do país por se oporem às extrações de petróleo no Delta do Níger.

Entre os executados estava Ken saro Wiwa, renomado ecologista e poeta, um escândalo que em boa parte contribuiu para a saída da Shell de um páis em que estivera presente desde o descobrimento dos depósitos de óleo cru, em 1958, quando ainda era colônia britânica.

O acordo financeiro entre a empresa e os advogados dos demandantes encerra uma disputa de mais de dez anos, levadas ao Tribunal do Distrito de Manhattan, em Nova York.

A denúncia acusava a Shell de apoiar violações aos direitos humanos no Níger e, entre outros delitos, vinculava a companhia à morte de Ken Sar Wiwa e outros opositores ao governo militar em 1995.

O advogado das vítimas, Paul Hoffman explicou que cinco milhões de dólares da indenização irão para um fundo em benefício do povo ogoni, indígena do Delta do Níger, e o restante cobrirá os honorários dos advogados e indenizará as famílias.

Não obstante, a Shell alega que as alegações eram falsas. "Embora estivéssemos determinados a ir a jupizo limpar nosso nome, cremos que a forma correta de seguir em frente é centrarmos no futuro do povo ogoni, importante para a paz e estabilidade da região", disse o diretor executivo de exploração e produção, Malcolm Brinded.

Dessa forma, a Shell reconhece que, "embora não tenha participado da violência ocorrida", admite que "os reclamantes e outras pessoas sofreram" em consequência da repressão.

Você acredita na versão da Shell???

Shell pagará 11 millones de euros por abusos en Nigeria

La petrolera acuerda pagar una indemización para evitar un juicio por complicidad en la ejecución de nueve ecologistas en 1995.

La petrolera anglo-holandesa Royal Dutch Shell ha acordado el pago de una indemnización de 15,5 millones de dólares (11,1 millones de euros) para evitar un juicio por su complicidad en el asesinato de nueve activistas ogonis en Nigeria en los años noventa, condenados a muerte por la dictadura del país por manifestarse contra las extracciones petroleras en el delta del Níger.

Entre los ejecutados estuvo Ken Saro-Wiwa, célebre ecologista y poeta, un escándalo que en buena parte contribuyó a la salida de Shell de un país en el que había estado presente desde el descubrimiento del crudo en 1958, cuando todavía era colonia británica. El pacto económico entre la compañía y los abogados de los demandantes pone fin a más de una década de disputas trasladadas al Tribunal de Distrito de Manhattan en Nueva York.

La denuncia acusaba a Shell de apoyar violaciones de los derechos humanos en Níger y, entre otros delitos, vinculaba a la petrolera con la muerte de Ken Sar Wiwa y otros ocho opositores al Gobierno militar en 1995.

El abogado de las víctimas Paul Hoffman ha explicado que cinco millones de dólares de la indemnización irán a parar a un fondo a favor del pueblo ogoni, indígena del delta del Níger, mientras que el resto del dinero servirá para abonar los costes de los abogados y compensar directamente a las familias afectadas.

No obstante, Shell sigue asegurando que "las alegaciones eran falsas". "Aunque estábamos preparados para ir a juicio y limpiar nuestro nombre, creemos que la forma correcta de seguir adelante es centrarnos en el futuro del pueblo ogoni, importante para la paz y la estabilidad y la región"", ha declarado el director ejecutivo para exploración y producción, Malcolm Brinded.

De esta forma, Shell reconoce que, "aunque no tomó parte en la violencia ocurrida", sí admite que "los demandantes y otras personas sufrieron" como consecuencia de la represión.

Usted cree en lo que dice Shell???

14 years after Ken Saro-Wiwa's death, family points finger at Shell in court.

Shell agreed to pay US$15,5 million indemnization to avoid being held with cumplicity in the killing of 9 nigerian activists and other abuses in human rights. In fact, the company has bought its immunity.

Ogoni plaintiffs link oil giant to Nigerian atrocities. New York case seen as test of corporate accountability.

In 1995, at a trial that resulted in his conviction and execution, the Nigerian writer and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa vowed that the oil giant Shell would one day be brought to justice.

Saro-Wiwa made his prediction days before he and eight other leaders of the Ogoni people were hanged by the Nigerian military regime in November 1995.

In a final statement at his own trial, which he was prevented from delivering, Saro-Wiwa said of Shell that "its day will surely come. The crime of the company's dirty wars against the Ogoni people will be punished."

When the trial does begin, relatives of the Ogoni nine, as the executed leaders are known, will be present in court as plaintiffs in the civil lawsuit against the firm. They and the other plaintiffs allege that Shell was an active participant in atrocities and abuses carried out by Nigeria's military police.

In addition to the alleged murder of the Ogoni nine, they also hold Shell partially responsible for torture, illegal detention, forced exile and shootings of hundreds of Ogoni protesters during the 1990s.

Shell has strongly denied the charges. In a statement to the Guardian, a

Royal Dutch Shell

spokesman in the Netherlands said the 1995 executions were tragic events that the company tried to prevent through appeals for clemency to the Nigerian government of the time.

"To our deep regret, that appeal went unheard, and we were shocked and saddened when we heard the news. Shell in no way encouraged or advocated any act of violence against them or their fellow Ogonis," said the statement.

The dispute between Shell and the Ogoni protesters stems from the company's extensive interests in the Niger delta stretching back to 1958. It now owns about 90 oil fields across the country.

From the early 1990s, non-violent protests began among Ogonis unhappy about the impact of oil exploration, which they said was destroying the environment that they depended on for fishing or farming.

Clearance work to make way for pipelines was decimating the world's third-largest mangrove forest. Oil spills were rife, polluting the land at a rate, campaigners said, equivalent to an Exxon Valdez oil disaster every year. Oil flares only made the pollution worse.

In 1990 Saro-Wiwa, a well-known journalist and activist, helped found the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, bringing its case against Shell's destruction of the environment to an international audience. A peaceful protest in 1993 mobilised 300,000 Ogonis.

A year later the Ogoni nine were arrested on what were widely regarded to have been trumped-up charges. The men were tortured, beaten and then put on trial in front of a tribunal without legal representation. They were sentenced to death.

The civil action is slated for a federal US court under an obscure 1789 law that initially applied to piracy. In 2004 the supreme court ruled that it could be used by foreign parties to bring cases against defendants – including multinational corporations – in specific areas, notably torture and crimes against humanity.

So far very few cases have been brought to trial under the act, and none have proved successful for plaintiffs. But ­Jennie Green of the New York-based Centre for Constitutional Rights, which filed the case, said that human rights cases against corporations were still so new that no pattern had yet been established.

"Juries decide on the facts and we think we have a strong case that will convince them to hold Shell accountable for what they did. They were involved in human rights violations, participating, aiding and abetting," she said.

Saro-Wiwa Jr said he hoped that the jury would see that the oil giant's "fingerprints are all over this". He added: "For a long time Shell was able to operate with impunity hiding behind a military regime. Now it's time they were held to account."