I posted about this and I have stayed on top of it. (I'm a writer and activist that has had threats of violence made against me and my family and there has been one attempt on my life to date) 15.5 million will be paid to the family of Ken Saro-Wiwa in an out of court settlement. It is a victory, as people will be compensated for a loved one's death. However, it would have been far better had the trial resulted in a judgement against Royal Dutch Shell, as State/Corporate sponsored terrorism has been practiced by Western Corporations for hundreds of years. Ford Motors is a good example. Below are some excerpts, read the story in entirety here.
Nigeria victims hail $15.5 mln Shell payout
Victims of murder, torture and other abuses by Nigeria's former military government on Tuesday hailed a landmark out-of-court settlement with Royal Dutch Shell over its alleged complicity in the crimes.
Shell agreed on Monday in New York to pay out 15.5 million dollars (10.7 million euros) to relatives of Nigerian writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and others executed in 1995 in what plaintiffs said was a campaign of repression backed by the oil giant.
The settlement brings to an end a long battle by the Nigerian victims and means that Shell avoids a potentially embarrassing court case while having to accept no actual wrongdoing.
Saro-Wiwa had led a non-violent campaign to protest environmental destruction and abuses against the Ogoni people in the Niger Delta before he was hanged along with other activists after his trial in a military court.
Shell agreed on Monday in New York to pay out 15.5 million dollars (10.7 million euros) to relatives of Nigerian writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and others executed in 1995 in what plaintiffs said was a campaign of repression backed by the oil giant.
The settlement brings to an end a long battle by the Nigerian victims and means that Shell avoids a potentially embarrassing court case while having to accept no actual wrongdoing.
Saro-Wiwa had led a non-violent campaign to protest environmental destruction and abuses against the Ogoni people in the Niger Delta before he was hanged along with other activists after his trial in a military court.
"We welcome the 15.5 million dollars compensation for the illegal killings of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the other eight Ogoni leaders," Bariara Kpalap, spokesman for the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), told AFP.
But Kpalap insisted Shell must still address the issue of environmental pollution and change the way it does business in the oil-rich Niger Delta, where farmers and fishermen are being driven off.
Again, I am thankful for the family being compensated, but capitalism is not working, and American corporations are responsible for this reprehensible activity, and they must be confronted and the demons of the past, such as slavery and unbridled capitalism, must be exorcised for the United States to move forward.
Peace, Searchers...Onward!
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