Below is press release, published by Emory University

Invited lecturer Ledum Mitee President of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO – The Hague) and President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni (MOSOP – Nigeria) will give a public talk, “Oil exploitation and the challenges of a non-violent struggle in Nigeria’s Niger Delta,” at an Institute of African Studies Graduate Forum event on March 27, 2pm.

A former prisoner of conscience, Mr. Mitee has worked tirelessly in the field of human rights, and is most notably known as the co-defendant of a prominent Ogoni leader and Goldman Environmental Prize winner Ken Saro-Wiva, whose execution in 1995 prompted international outcry.

Mr. Mitee will deliver his lecture during a March 27-28 visit to Emory, during which he will participate in a panel discussion on democracy, human rights, and oil in the Niger Delta.  Other expert panelists include Dr. Timothy Holtz (Co-founder, Doctors for Global Health, Emory School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health), Mr. Stephen Mills (Director, International Programs, Sierra Club USA), and three Emory Staff (from the Niger Delta region). (...)

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“Our goals for this event include 1) creating awareness within and beyond the Emory community of the extreme poverty of the indigenous people of the Niger Delta, and the destructive exploitation of their land; and 2) organizing community dialogues that involve students, Nigerians, academics, civil servants, and policy makers, in order that they may begin to discuss policy change,” says Anthropology graduate student and event organizer Kenneth Maes.

Emory University is one of the nation's leading private research universities and a member of the Association of American Universities. Known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities, Emory is ranked as one of the country's top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.