Wiwa v. Shell Trial

Jury selection will begin at 10 am on Wednesday, May 27, 2009, in New York. The lawsuit, Wiwa v. Shell, alleges that the multinational oil giant conspired in atrocious human rights abuses in Nigeria in the 1990s.

Royal Dutch Shell, with Brian Anderson as head of its Nigerian operation, is charged 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. Prosecution of leaders of this Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) included acclaimed author and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, who on November 10th, 1995, was hanged along with eight other Ogoni leaders. Charges involving conspiracy and bribery, which may have led to the death sentences of these nine men, are also directed at Shell.

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), co-counsel EarthRights International (ERI), and other human rights attorneys will present their case before Judge Kimba Wood of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Ed's images from Curse of the Black Gold
provide graphic evidence of Nigeria's plight.

Check out the links below:

The Case Against Shell
Shell Guilty
Vimeo