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NEWS - SARO-WIWA'S Family Sues Shel



Subject: NEWS - SARO-WIWA'S Family Sues Shell Nigeria

SARO-WIWA'S Family Sues Shell Nigeria

               Africa News Service
               24-MAY-99

               Lagos (P.M. News, May 24, 1999) - The family of writer
Ken
               Saro-Wiwa, who was executed in 1995 b= y order of the
               Nigerian government, is seeking millions of pounds in
dama=
               ges from Shell in a US lawsuit alleging that human rights
               violations perp= etrated by the Abuja government are
partly
               the responsibility of the oil = company, Britain's Sunday
               Independent has reported.. 

               "We believe Shell facilitated Saro-Wiwa's execution,"
said
               Jenny Green= , a lawyer for the family at the New
               York-based Center for Constitutional= Rights. "We believe
               there is a basis in US law to hold Shell accountable=
Shell
               denies all wrongdoing and is appealing on a technicality
to
               stop= the lawsuit from being heard. 

               The New York District Court ruled in January that it had
               jurisdiction,= but said the case would be better heard in
               London. Shell is contending i= n the Second Circuit Court
of
               Appeals in New York that the US does not ha= ve
               jurisdiction for this case. Saro-Wiwa's family is
               cross-appealing that= New York is a better venue than
               London. Oral arguments are scheduled for= this autumn. 

               The existence of the lawsuit emerged last week as a
result
               of demonstr= ations outside the annual general meeting of
               Premier Oil in London. Activ= ists from The Burma
Campaign
               UK and the World Development Movement want P= remier
               to halt construction of a natural gas pipeline running
from the
               An= daman Sea through Burma to Thailand. 

               Activists say the pipeline is being built with forced
labour.
               Premier = Oil denies this and says it has a policy of
               constructive engagement with = Burmese authorities to
stop
               human rights abuses by linking the local econ= omy to the
               outside world. 

               US activists working along side the campaigners are suing
               Unocal, a US= oil company also building a natural gas

               pipeline in Burma. 

               The Center for Constitutional Rights and EarthRights
               International say= Unocal is responsible for the Burmese
               Army forcing locals to work on the= pipeline. 

               Unocal denies this charge and is appealing a decision in
a
               California = court which says the US has jurisdiction to
hear
               the case. 

               If successful, the legal initiatives against Shell and
Unocal
               could ha= ve far-reaching implications. US human rights
               activists want to extend le= gal precedents established
in the
               US to make multinationals financially l= iable for human
               rights abuses in the Third World. 

               Jenny Green at the Center for Constitutional Law claims
that
               the Saro-= Wiwa family and a second group of defendants
               from the writer's Ogoni trib= e have affidavits in which
Shell
               said to the Saro-Wiwa family, when Ken S= aro-Wiwa was in
               custody: "If you call off the international campaign
mayb= e
               there's something that can be done to help." 

               The family of writer Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was executed in
               1995 by order = of the Nigerian government, is seeking
               millions of pounds in damages from= Shell in a US lawsuit
               alleging that human rights violations perpetrated = by
the
               Lagos government are partly the responsibility of the oil
               company.= "We believe Shell facilitated Saro-Wiwa's
               execution," said Jenny Green= , a lawyer for the family
at the
               New York-based Center for Constitutional= Rights. "We
               believe there is a basis in US law to hold Shell
accountable=
               Shell denies all wrongdoing and is appealing on a
               technicality to stop= the lawsuit from being heard. 

               The New York District Court ruled in January that it had
               jurisdiction,= but said the case would be better heard in
               London. Shell is contending i= n the Second Circuit Court
of
               Appeals in New York that the US does not ha= ve
               jurisdiction for this case. Saro-Wiwa's family is
               cross-appealing that= New York is a better venue than
               London. Oral arguments are scheduled for= this autumn. 

               The existence of the lawsuit emerged last week as a
result
               of demonstr= ations outside the annual general meeting of
               Premier Oil in London. Activ= ists from The Burma
Campaign
               UK and the World Development Movement want P= remier
               to halt construction of a natural gas pipeline running
from the
               An= daman Sea through Burma to Thailand. 

               Activists say the pipeline is being built with forced
labour.
               Premier = Oil denies this and says it has a policy of
               constructive engagement with = Burmese authorities to
stop

               human rights abuses by linking the local econ= omy to the
               outside world. 

               US activists working along side the campaigners are suing
               Unocal, a US= oil company also building a natural gas
               pipeline in Burma. 

               The Center for Constitutional Rights and EarthRights
               International say= Unocal is responsible for the Burmese
               Army forcing locals to work on the= pipeline. 

               Unocal denies this charge and is appealing a decision in
a
               California = court which says the US has jurisdiction to
hear
               the case. 

               If successful, the legal initiatives against Shell and
Unocal
               could ha= ve far-reaching implications. US human rights
               activists want to extend le= gal precedents established
in the
               US to make multinationals financially l= iable for human
               rights abuses in the Third World. 

               Jenny Green at the Center for Constitutional Law claims
that
               the Saro-= Wiwa family and a second group of defendants
               from the writer's Ogoni trib= e have affidavits in which
Shell
               said to the Saro-Wiwa family, when Ken S= aro-Wiwa was in
               custody: "If you call off the international campaign
mayb= e
               there's something that can be done to help." 

               Copyright 1999 P.M. News. Distributed via Africa News
               Online.