The documents, obtained by the Corporate Responsibility Coalition (Core) and Amnesty International, show the closeness of the relationship between the multinational corporations and UK government departments. They also show that UK government officials were privately worried about being seen to be promoting business interests over ethical trading principles. Peter Frankental, economic relations programme director at Amnesty International UK, said: “In these David versus Goliath encounters, the UK has effectively shielded the interests of powerful companies at the expense of their alleged victims.”
Article by Owen Bowcott published Sunday 6 April 2014 by The Guardian under the headline: “Documents reveal extent of Shell and Rio Tinto lobbying in human rights case”
Campaigners demonstrate in 2009 against Shell’s actions in the Ogoni region of Nigeria. Photograph: Bebeto Matthews/APThe extent of lobbying conducted by Shell and Rio Tinto in seeking legal support from the UK government to dismiss allegations of human rights abuses has been revealed in internal memorandums released by the Foreign Office.
The documents, obtained by the Corporate Responsibility Coalition (Core) and Amnesty International, show the closeness of the relationship between the multinational corporations and UK government departments. They also show that UK government officials were privately worried about being seen to be promoting business interests over ethical trading principles.