$15 Million Settlement in Wiwa vs. Shell Oil

Sorry guys, I have been busy with work.

Well, you've probably heard about the good news for those abused in the third world by multinational corporations! The Wiwa family from Nigeria wins $15 million against Shell Oil. This amount is pocket change and not enough to discourage human rights abuses by the multinationals.

[Article] $15 Million Settlement in Wiwa vs. Shell Oil

The Case Against Shell: Murder, Exploitation, and Repression in the Niger Delta

What a coincidence! I post a video on Nigerian oil exploitation, and a day or two later, there's major coverage on it! (Of course I didn't have anything to do with it, but I'm glad about the good timing!)

A lawsuit in New York against Shell Oil for human rights abuses, including the the murder of Ken Saro-Wiwa, has been delayed. It was supposed to proceed today, May 26, 2009.

"Wiwa v. Shell charges Shell with requesting, financing, and assisting the Nigerian military which used deadly force to repress opposition to Shell’s operations in the Ogoni region of the Niger Delta. The lawsuit also charges Shell with conspiring with the Nigerian military dictatorship in the prosecution of the leaders of this movement – the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). Shell bribed witnesses to give false testimony, ultimately leading to a death sentence for nine men, including acclaimed author, activist, and leader of MOSOP Ken Saro-Wiwa. On November 10th, 1995, Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders were hanged."

There's supposed to be a gathering tomorrow in support of the Nigerians in New York. Attend it if you can! More info here!

Please watch the today's great coverage on Democracy Now!:
[Video] Democracy Now! 05-26-2009: Shell on Trial: Landmark Trial Set to Begin Over Shell’s Role in 1995 Execution of Nigerian Human Rights Activist Ken Saro-Wiwa

[Youtube] The Case Against Shell

Nigeria, Oil, and Revolution - Documentary by Vanguard

I've been watching some of Vanguard's videos on youtube. They're quite good. This one is on Nigeria, it's oil exploitation, and the Revolution by the exploited.

See up close and personal how the local people live, their lands ruined by oil, and results of corruption by the Nigerian and the multinational corporations. They conveniently leave out the role if the US government, CIA,the IMF, and World Bank. Corruption is convenient in that profits are maximized by the foreign "investors".

[Youtube] Nigeria - Rebels in the Pipeline - Vanguard