Press Coverage

Judith Chompski interview with Amy Goodman on DemocracyNow announcing and exploring the settlement in the Wiwa v. Shell case (there are three parts to the interview):


Some release from the torments of the past: Murdered activist’s son on his reaction to Shell’s $15.5m settlement
The Guardian, June 9, 2009

Shell to Pay $15.5 to Settle Nigeria Claims
CNN, June 8, 2009

Shell, Nigerian families settle suit for $15.5 million
Reuters, June 8, 2009

Shell to Settle Abuse Case for $15.5 Million
New York Times, June 8, 2009

14 years after Ken Saro-Wiwa’s death, family points finger at Shell in court
The Guardian, May 27, 2009

Shell in court over death of Nigerian activist
Times Online, May 26, 2009

Amy Goodman: Chevron, Shell and the True Cost of Oil
Truthdig, May 26, 2009

Shell ‘played role in activist executions’
Telegraph, May 26, 2009

Old law exhumed by fighters for human rights
Financial Times, May 26, 2009

Nigeria oil executions case reaches US
BBC, May 26, 2009

Ken Saro-Wiwa Jr.: Now at last it’s time for Shell to atone for my father’s death
The Observer, May 24, 2009

Oil Industry Braces for U.S. Trial on Rights Abuses
New York Times, May 21, 2009

Allegations of Corporate Crimes Against Humanity Going to Trial
New York Law Journal, May 7, 2009

Bloomberg: Shell Faces Trial Over Nigerian Crimes Against Humanity Claims
May 6, 2009

A group of Nigerians suing Royal Dutch Shell Plc over government attacks and killings in their country will try to do the unprecedented — persuade a U.S. jury to find a company liable for aiding in crimes against humanity.

The American Lawyer: Cravath to Defend Shell in Alien Tort Claims Trial
May 5, 2009

Alien Tort Claims Act cases go to trial about as often as Tiger Woods misses two-foot putts. So we’re counting the days until May 26, when the trial against Royal Dutch Petroleum and the former managing director of its Nigerian subsidiary, Shell Transport and Trading, is set to begin in New York federal district court.

The New York Times: A Writer’s Violent End, and His Activist Legacy
May 5, 2009

“I had a surprising call this week,” the author Richard North Patterson told the audience that had gathered last weekend as part of the PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature. It was former President Bill Clinton.

Associated Press: Late Nigerian activist’s son to see Shell in court
May 5, 2009

Ken Saro-Wiwa Jr. has been fighting for more than 13 years to make his late father’s prediction come true.

It will happen this month when relatives of victims of the Nigerian government’s violent crackdown on residents of the oil-rich region, where Royal Dutch Shell had drilling operations, will get to challenge the deaths and injuries in a U.S. court.

The Black Commentator: Is Oil Worth More than Blood in Nigeria?
April 30, 2009

On May 26, 2009, a potentially historic human rights trial will take place in a federal court in New York.  At issue: What did Royal Dutch/Shell, the multinational oil giant, do in Nigeria?

Attorney Judith Chomsky on WBAI Wakeup Call (Radio Show)
April 28, 2009

Center for Constitutional Rights Cooperating Attorney Judith Chomsky appeared on WBAI’s Wakeup Call to talk about Wiwa v. Shell.   Listen here:

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Shell Must Defend Nigerian Rights Suit, Judge Says
April 23, 2009

Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Europe’s biggest oil company, must face a lawsuit seeking to hold it responsible for violations of international law by Nigeria’s military government, a judge ruled. U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood in New York refused today to toss out the case on jurisdictional grounds in a setback for Shell. A trial in the case, which was brought by relatives of human-rights activists killed in Nigeria, is scheduled to begin in New York on May 26.

KPFA Radio (Bay Area) Evening News
April 20, 2009

Coverage of the Goldman Environmental Prize awards and the open letter issued by former prize-winners in support of Wiwa v. Shell runs from 41 min 32 seconds to 45 min 20 seconds.

US Courts Put Corporations on Notice over Human Rights
AFP, April 10, 2009

A spate of US court cases is lighting a fire under the feet of powerful corporations doing business in countries that commit human rights abuses, analysts said Thursday.

Suit: Shell Complicit in Execution of Nigerian Rights Activist
The Raw Story, April 8, 2009

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 proceed to trial in a New York courtroom.

Shell: Corporate Impunity Goes on Trial
George Monbiot’s Blog, The Guardian, April 7, 2009

Multinationals accused of human rights abuses can no longer feel safe now that the oil giant is facing allegations of complicity in the execution of Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa.

New York Trial Delayed for Nigerians Suing Shell
Reuters, April 6, 2009

A closely watched lawsuit brought on behalf of executed Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and others against oil company Royal Dutch Shell is now due to go to trial on May 26, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said on Monday.

Shell in Court over Alleged Role in Nigeria Executions
The Observer, April 5, 2009

Family of environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, hanged by his country’s rulers in 1995, take oil giant to court in New York.

Shell faces Saro-Wiwa death claim
Financial Times, April 3, 2009

The death of Ken Saro-Wiwa, the Nigerian activist, will return to haunt Royal Dutch Shell next month when a potentially groundbreaking court case opens in the US alleging the company was complicit in his execution.