SHELL PAYOUT TO VICTIMS’ FAMILIES
Jun 9th, 2009 by admin
Oil giant Shell has agreed to pay 15.5 million US dollars to the relatives of nine environmental activists, including author Ken Saro-Wiwa, who were executed by the Nigerian government, but it says that it does not accept liability for their deaths. Shell agreed to the out-of-court settlement in a case brought by relatives of the nine environmental campaigners who were hanged in 1995 by Nigeria’s then military government. The company strongly denies any misconduct and says the payment is part of a reconciliation process. The case started 13 years ago, and was due for trial in the US next week. It alleges that Shell was complicit in human right abuses carried out by Nigeria’s former military government against activists in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
