Don't worry about that regime of murderers and torturers...XOM and Unocal will make sure nothing like that happens in Iraq.
In relation to the Exxonmobil related situation in Indonesia there's also:
Unocal Can Be Held Liable For Human Rights Crimes in Burma, Says
Appeals Court
Washington, D.C., Sept 18, 2002 - The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
today reversed an earlier Federal District Court decision and will allow
a groundbreaking human rights lawsuit against Unocal to go forward. In
the Doe v. Unocal case, 11 Burmese villagers allege that Unocal, a
California based oil company, can be held liable for human rights abuses
associated with its Yadana gas pipeline project in Burma. The abuses
include rape, forced labor, and murder.
"This is a landmark decision," said Richard L. Herz, an attorney with
the non-profit group EarthRights International, co-counsel in the
lawsuit. "In recognizing that corporations that aid and abet egregious
human rights abuses can be held accountable, the Ninth Circuit has
affirmed that US corporations cannot violate international human rights
with impunity."
A September 2000 decision in Federal District Court established that
Unocal "knew or should have known that the Burmese military did commit,
was committing and would continue to commit" these abuses for the
benefit of Unocal's project, but nevertheless found Unocal could not be
held liable because it did not control the Burmese military's actions.
Today's Ninth Circuit decision, written by Judge Harry Pregerson,
reversed that ruling."
The Court held that plaintiffs need only demonstrate that Unocal
knowingly assisted the military in the perpetration of the abuses, and
that plaintiffs had presented evidence that Unocal had done so. It also
found that forced labor such as that employed by the Burmese military on
behalf of the Unocal pipeline is the "modern equivalent of slavery." The
decision follows a June 2002 decision in related state lawsuit, in which
California Superior Judge Victoria Chaney held that plaintiffs' claims
may proceed to trial.
Paul Hoffman, who argued the case for the plaintiffs, commented today,
"This decision is important not only because it allows a US company to
be held liable for abuses committed overseas, but also because it tells
other multinational corporations that go into business with repressive
dictatorships that they are responsible if they assist their partners'
abuses." Co-counsel Anne Richardson concurred, stating "This ruling puts
the plaintiffs one step closer to having their day in court. We are
confident that a jury reviewing the facts of this case will be
horrified. We expect a huge verdict on their behalf."
Plaintiffs are represented by Paul Hoffman, Judith Brown Chomsky and
Jennie Green of the Center for Constitutional Rights, Dan Stormer and
Anne Richardson of Hadsell & Stormer, and Katharine Redford, Tyler
Giannini and Richard Herz of EarthRights International.
###
Quotes from Decision:
"There.is some evidence that Unocal could influence the [Burmese] army
not to commit human rights violations, that the army might otherwise
commit such violations, and that Unocal knew this."
".there is some evidence that Unocal knew that the Myanmar Military
might used forced labor in connection with the [Yadana pipeline]
Project."
NOTE: Myanmar is the new name given to the country of Burma by the
nations' military dictatorship.
The decision can be found at
ca9.uscourts.gov.
mailman.aaas.org
So when unocal and exxonmobil get trundled into postwar Iraq it's not a stretch to see that one perpetrator of human rights violations is just going to be replaced with others. |
