U.S. Human Rights Lawyer Steven Donziger held hostage
April 17 2020 - 5:00PM
JCN Newswire (English)
30 Nobel winners join Alec Baldwin, Roger Waters and
global NGOs such as Global Witness, Rainforest Action Network, and
Amazon Watch in demanding freedom for the detained human rights
lawyer
|
NEW YORK, Apr 18, 2020 - (Media OutReach) - On April 16 2020,
Nobel laureates including Peace laureates and winners in Medicine,
Chemistry, Physics, Economics and Literature announced a calling
for the release of human rights lawyer Steven Donziger from house
arrest. Donziger helped rainforest communities win a landmark
judgment against Chevron for polluting the Amazon in Ecuador, and
he has been targeted by Chevron with a vicious retaliation
campaign. He has been under house arrest for over 250 days in New
York City, in part for refusing to hand over confidential case
files and client communications to Chevron. It is thought to be the
longest pretrial detention for a contempt charge for a lawyer in
U.S. history.
Supporters for the release of Steven Donziger include:
- Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize winner
- Alec Baldwin
- Roger Waters
- Paul Paz y Mino, Amazon Watch
- Ginger Cassady, Rainforest Action Network
Background: In 2011, human rights attorney Steven Donziger helped
Ecuadorian Indigenous peoples and local communities win a landmark
$9.5 billion judgment against Chevron for toxic pollution in the
Amazon rainforest, where the company operated as Texaco from 1964
to 1992. Chevron was found to have deliberately dumped more than 16
billion gallons of toxic wastewater, spilled roughly 17 million
gallons of oil, and abandoned toxic waste in 916 unlined open pits.
It admitted to the deliberate pollution as a cost-saving
measure.
Donziger has been on indefinite house arrest in New York since
August 2019 under legal attack by Chevron and a private law firm
appointed to prosecute him. The law firm, Seward & Kissel, has
deep ties to the oil industry and recently admitted that Chevron is
a client. Chevron's legal assault is intended to smear Donziger,
prevent Ecuadorians from obtaining justice, and intimidate human
rights lawyers and advocates who dare stand up to the fossil fuel
industry.
Now 30 Nobel laureates have joined Rainforest Action Network,
Global Witness, Amazon Watch and other NGOs, plus Alec Baldwin and
Roger Waters, in supporting one of the earth's leading defenders of
Indigenous peoples -- including several still living in voluntary
isolation -- and rural communities under threat in the Amazon from
large-scale industrial development, especially policies and
activities related to extractive industries like oil and
mining.
For Interviews: email Ariel Boone at aboone@amazonwatch.org.
Source: Pachamama Alliance
Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. |
Chevron (NYSE:CVX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Chevron (NYSE:CVX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024