The Hague: Esther Kiobel vows to continue her campaign for justice
23 March 2022
Human rights defender Esther Kiobel today lost her civil case against oil giant Shell, which she accuses of complicity in the 1995 execution of her husband by the Nigerian military government, but has promised to continue her campaign for justice. Esther has spent 27 years seeking justice for her husband Dr Barinem Kiobel, who was hanged along with eight other men in connection with widespread protests against oil pollution in the Niger Delta.At a witness hearing in 2019, three men told the Dutch court that Shell and the Nigerian government had given them money and offered them other bribes in order to incriminate Esther’s husband and eight other men, known collectively as the “Ogoni Nine”. But today, the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Shell had been involved.
Esther Kiobel brought the case against Shell along with three other women, Victoria Bera, Blessing Eawo and Charity Levula, whose husbands were also executed in 1995. Amnesty International’s research into the historic injustice has revealed how Shell’s requests for ‘assistance’ in handling environmental protests led to a brutal government crackdown, culminating in the arrests and unlawful executions of the women’s husbands, as well as renowned activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and four other men.
“This is a disappointing outcome, but these extraordinarily brave women are not giving up. Their voices have been heard. They should be commended for their resilience and unbreaking commitment to exposing the truth, and for the invaluable work they have done to highlight the global culture of impunity for multinationals accused of human rights abuses,” said Mark Dummett, Head of Business and Human Rights at Amnesty International.
“It has taken years of legal wrangling for Esther Kiobel to get Shell to face her in a courtroom. Shell tried every trick in the book, from disputing jurisdiction to refusing to hand over crucial documents. The fact that it took more than twenty years for a court to hear Esther’s argument is a grim indictment of how corporations are able to evade accountability for terrible crimes and human rights abuses. Despite the ruling today, Esther’s battle for justice has not been in vain – her persistence represents a powerful argument for change. Governments must do more to hold companies accountable for human rights abuses, and make it possible for the victims to seek justice.”
Esther Kiobel fled Nigeria and settled in the US following her husband’s killing. She first filed a case against Shell in New York in 2002, but in 2013 the US Supreme Court ruled that the US did not have jurisdiction to hear the case. In 2017, Amnesty International supported Esther Kiobel, Victoria Bera, Blessing Eawo and Charity Levula in bringing a new case against Shell in the Netherlands. The four plaintiffs accused Shell of being instrumental in the unlawful arrest and detention of their husbands; the violation of their husbands’ physical integrity; and the violation of their right to a fair trial and to life, and their own right to a family life. The case was held up when Shell refused to hand over crucial documents relating to the case, and it was not until 2019 that the District Court of The Hague heard the women’s arguments for the first time.
Amnesty International has extensively detailed Shell’s role in the crackdown in Ogoniland. In a 2017 report, it found that Shell repeatedly encouraged the Nigerian military to deal with protests, even when it knew this would lead to atrocities including killings, rape, torture, and the burning of villages. In the midst of these horrors, Shell provided the military with material support, and in at least one instance paid a military commander notorious for human rights violations.
Amnesty International has also exposed evidence of serious negligence by Shell, whose irresponsible approach to oil spills in the Niger Delta has exacerbated an environmental crisis and led to devastating pollution for Ogoni communities.
“One of the many tragedies in this case is that spills from Shell’s oil fields are still wreaking havoc in the Niger Delta. The company says it is now leaving the region and is looking for a buyer. Before doing so it needs to finally pay heed to the demands of the communities there – and clean up its dirty legacy,” said Mark Dummett.
“Shell has thrown millions at the multiple lawsuits it is facing, but money will not be enough to clear its name.”
Not only are they ripping me off with illegal energy price rises covered up by accounting for them as near doubling of the standing charge. But they are now antagonizing me further with pathetic customer service. I can download my latest bill but its corrupted so I can't read it. So I have to contact customer services. Firstly I tried the online chat and was connected to an idiot bot then left hanging for ages and gave up and decided to call. Their phone system must have been designed by a moron who wants to antagonize me as much as possible with menu after menu after menu before not connecting me to a human but leaving just hanging on until I finally gave up. Why don't Shell try spending some of their obscene earnings on looking after their customers?
I have just tried emailing them from their website, its another total disaster area where it blocks my trying to send an email by forcing me to pick a totally unconnected topic from a drop down menu, which then starts me off on another totally unconnected route. Morons!!!!
Passed to shell energy from pure planet. Didn't transfer over credit, unhelpful call centre staff, horrible call centre waiting times blamed on covid but obviously understaffed.
If I could give minus 5 stars i really would. I didnt ask to join shell energy, sadly i was transferred over from green energy. The new rate for electricity set by ofgem is 28p
per kwh, shell have decided for what ever reason to charge me 31.5 pence per KWH. Goodbye Shell energy.
Was moved to Shell energy kept getting estimated bills despite assurances that they could read my meters even complaints team misled me by saying we can read both your meters, then another overestimated bill today. When I called them was told can't read your meter. This has been going on for ages. Appalling service
gave shell a reading on 27/0-4/22, still have not recived a bill, tried to contact them cant get through, a complete waste of time,
Hush now: With all this negative sentiment about Shell I was just wondering how this page is sustained. I presume it is backed financially by groups like Greenpeace etc or some other radical anti fossil fuel group. Must take a full time job to do all this.
REPLY BY JOHN DONOVAN
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You don't deserve any stars, as a previous Post office customer for my landline, which has since been taken over by shell energy, you have cut my mum off who is 73 year old for no reason. numerous phone calls haven't resolved the issue, nobody know what they are doing, GET MY MUMS PHONE LINE BACK you bunch of XXXX!!!
Fitted a smart meter that doesn’t work. No timeline for a fix, no communications about the issue. No update on my bills. Direct Debit still sat at pre price cap increase level.
Got moved to these cowboys as previous supplier went bust! Just transferred to another supplier as Shell Energy over doubled my DD and installed smart meters that don’t work! Their customer service is nothing better than useless, brain dead morons reading from a script who don’t want to know or listen. Obviously these big companies pay back handers to regulators to get away with what they do!
Absolute thieves, be warned!
Their app is a completely useless. Everytime I try to log on, I have to give my email and password then reply to my email so I can log on. I hate having to go into my account because it is so much hassle.
I only receive emails to submit my readings. My bills are never emailed to me. I have to go through the whole rigmarole above so I can see my bills.
I had been "advised" to increase my direct debit. I decided not to because
I would end up over paying. After a month, I was no longer " advised" but told I had no choice that my direct debit would be increasing.
Why on earth should my money be sat in their accounts when my account is in the black! They wouldn't be so quick to refund my money if I over pay them.
I genuinely wish I could switch to a new supplier but unfortunately, all the good suppliers don't want to take more customers. Funnily enough Shell Energy will. That speaks volumes.
The quicker I find a decent supplier to switch to, the better !!!
They put my direct debit up from £80 to £166 despite being in credit. Online I could not change it to less then £130.... When I called I was told my projected spend was £81 a month....
If they charge more for not having a DD set up and just paying what you owe monthly.... they should refund any overpayment you make every month. Why should money I need for food be sitting in Shell energy's Bank account?????
Unfortunate Green energy went under. I cannot WAIT to leave Shell.
My parents were forced to go to shell energy after they bought out the post office phone company. She was not billed for 3 months then when she tried to contact them she didn't get through for 3 days after being hung up on. Today she got through then was told by some vindictive over important receptionist that she would have to be put through to another department. But who has over an hour to waste waiting for someone to pick up. This company is a joke and I will find them another wifi/phone service they make billions of pounds profit yearly but still try to don't the ever day person out of money. Totally corrupt self-centred company and I advise all those considering this dictatorship to reconsider
Listen and read proof in audio and transcript form of Shell CEO Ben van Beurden’s cover-up tactics in the OPL 245 Nigerian corruption scandal. The instruction given by him in the covertly recorded call to CFO Simon Henry was at odds with Shell’s claimed core business principles. Cover-up and obstruction, instead of transparency and integrity, says Shell critic John Donovan
JOHN DONOVAN TV DOCUMENTARY INTERVIEW
SHELL EXECUTIVES AT THE CENTER OF A SCHEME TO STEAL $1.3 BILLION FROM NIGERIA’S PEOPLE
SHELL ADMITS DEALING WITH NIGERIAN MONEY LAUNDERER – BBC NEWS
SHELL, ENI AND NIGERIAN OFFICIALS IN OPL 245 CORRUPTION SCANDAL
INVESTIGATION OF OPL 245 NIGERIAN OIL CORRUPTION SCANDAL
DUTCH EARTHQUAKES CAUSED BY SHELL/EXXON
SHELL KILLS FOR OIL IN NIGERIA
ESTHER KIOBEL SUES SHELL FOR COMPLICITY IN HUSBANDS MURDER
ESTHER KIOBEL: EVIL OIL GIANT SHELL COLLUDED IN THE EXECUTION OF MY INNOCENT HUSBAND
SHELL LIED ABOUT CLEANING UP OIL IN NIGER DELTA
SHELL SPIES INFILTRATED NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT
LEGO DROPS SHELL OVER GREENPEACE OIL SPILL VIDEO
SHELL ARCTIC DRILLING ACCIDENTS
SHELL KNEW ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE DECADES AGO
ABANDONED BY SHELL: KEITH MACDONALD & FAMILY, VICTIMS OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION AT WORK
ROYAL DUTCH SHELL FOUNDER SIR HENRI DETERDING, NAZI FINANCIER
JOHN DONOVAN PROMOTIONAL GAMES FOR SHELL AND OTHER CLIENTS
EBOOK TITLE: “SIR HENRI DETERDING AND THE NAZI HISTORY OF ROYAL DUTCH SHELL” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON EBOOK TITLE: “JOHN DONOVAN, SHELL’S NIGHTMARE: MY EPIC FEUD WITH THE UNSCRUPULOUS OIL GIANT ROYAL DUTCH SHELL” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON. EBOOK TITLE: “TOXIC FACTS ABOUT SHELL REMOVED FROM WIKIPEDIA: HOW SHELL BECAME THE MOST HATED BRAND IN THE WORLD” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.
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