Nov 03, 2010

Ogoni: 15th anniversary execution of Ken Saro Wiwa


10 November 2010 - 15th anniversary of the execution of Ken Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni leaders. Amnesty International’s expert on the oil industry in Niger Delta available for interview Writer and human rights campaigner Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed, along with eight other members of the Ogoni people, by the Nigerian State in 1995. They were convicted and sentenced to death following a politically motivated prosecution and unfair trial.

 

Below is an article published by Amnesty International:

 

The executions alerted the world to the devastating impact of the oil industry in the Niger Delta, including how the environmental damage caused by the oil industry was damaging the health and livelihoods of the Ogoni people.

15 years after his death, the same environmental and human rights abuses against which Ken Saro Wiwa fought continue. Amnesty International continues to campaign for justice in the Niger Delta. In 2009 Amnesty International released a major report Petroleum, Pollution and Poverty in the Niger Delta. The report highlights how companies take advantage of the weak regulatory systems that characterize many poor countries, which frequently results in the poorest people being the most vulnerable to exploitation by corporate actors.

Amnesty International’s lead researcher and analyst on the oil industry in the Niger Delta is available for interviews and media work from 1 November through to 10 November.

 

If you are interested in an interview or briefing, or for a copy of the report please contact:

Tom Mackey

Amnesty International Press Office

+44 207 413 5810

[email protected]

 

Ken Saro-Wiwa was a leading figure in the 500,000-strong Ogoni community in Rivers State and he played a key role in campaigning for oil companies and the government to clean up the environment and pay adequate compensation and royalties to the oil-producing regions.

The oil company operating in Ogoniland was the Shell Petroleum Development Company. In 1993 Shell withdrew from Ogoniland in the face of local protests. The company has never been able to resume operations in the area.