Ken Saro-Wiwa
A landmark human rights lawsuit accusing Royal Dutch Shell of complicity in the execution of author and human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa some 14 years ago, will be settled for $15.5 million just days before its trial was set to begin.
The company called its payment a “humanitarian gesture” in a statement published by The New York Times.
“In a statement, the company said the agreement ‘will provide funding for the trust and a compassionate payment to the plaintiffs and the estates they represent in recognition of the tragic turn of events in Ogoni land, even though Shell had no part in the violence that took place,’” noted the Times.
“Today, plaintiffs and defendants reached a settlement in the human rights cases brought against Royal Dutch Petroleum Company,” lawyers for the plaintiffs said.
“We want to express our satisfaction that these cases have provided the plaintiffs with substantial compensation for their claims.”
The trial was expected to reveal in unprecedented detail the company’s activities in the Niger-Delta region.
The Center for Constitutional Rights and Earth Rights International, along with Mr. Wiwa’s son, alleged with their lawsuit that the International oil company “financed, armed, and otherwise colluded with the Nigerian military forces that used deadly force and conducted massive, brutal raids against the Ogoni people of the Niger Delta.”
They claimed Shell was complicit in the 1995 military executions of nine activist leaders, including Ken Saro-Wiwa, though the company continued to deny the allegation on Monday.
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