Victims of mining, oil and gas remembered 16 years after executions
A report exposing the murders of human rights and environmental activists all over the world is published today (10 November 2011) by Friends of the Earth International, on the anniversary of the judicial execution of Nigerian environmental activist Ken Saro Wiwa.
The new report, ‘Memory, Truth and Justice for Heroes in the Resistance against Mining Oil and Gas’, renews Friends of the Earth International’s commitment to the struggle for justice for the communities who suffer the consequences of extractive industries.
Per Fischer, Communications Officer, Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:
“Extractive industries have a long an grim history of violating human rights and wrecking the environment short and long term.
“We’ve seen, from the recent BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill to Shell’s 50 years of environmental destruction in the Niger delta, the devastating consequences that exploiting increasingly difficult and dangerous oil fields can bring.
“We don’t trust these transnational corporations to take care of the environment, to clean up after themselves or to respect local people’s rights, and this report clearly shows why.”
Nnimmo Bassey, the chair of Friends of the Earth International, from Nigeria, said:
“Ken Saro-Wiwa was a hero who died because of the world’s addiction to fossil fuels. His words still ring true in our ears today. This is why we set November 10 as a day of remembrance of the victims of mining, oil and gas. We demand that those who have orchestrated the murder of people for the sake of profits should be held to account. We also demand environmental justice and an end to fossil fuels: be it crude, tar sands or coal.”
In January 2011 Amnesty International and Friends of the Earth International submitted a complaint under the OECD guidelines for Multinational Enterprises against Shell’s oil spill investigations in the Niger Delta. The process of considering the complaint is still ongoing.
ENDS
For media enquiries or contact details for international spokespersons, please contact: Per Fischer, Press Office, Friends of the Earth Scotland
t: 0131 243 2719
Notes to Editors
1. The report can be downloaded from
www.bit.ly/justiceforheroes
2. Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders were executed on 10 November 1995 for speaking out against the impact of Shell and other oil companies in the Niger Delta.
3. Friends of the Earth Scotland is * Scotland’s leading environmental campaigning organisation * An independent Scottish charity with a network of thousands of supporters and active local groups across Scotland * Part of the largest grassroots environmental network in the world, uniting over 2 million supporters, 77 national member groups, and some 5,000 local activist groups – covering every continent. www.foe-scotland.org.uk