Graag uw aandacht voor het volgende: Chevron heeft het voor elkaar: critici van dit bedrijf, die stellen dat Chevron, de door dat bedrijf veroorzaakte olievervuiling in Ecuador moet opruimen, zijn door een rechter in de VS als strafrechtelijk te vervolgen neergezet. Dus mensen die het opnemen voor het milieu zijn in aanleg misdadigers en de grote bedrijven die daadwerkelijk het milieu ernstig schaden en zelfs over lijken gaan, worden beschermd door het recht. Deze bedrijven kunnen vanaf nu mensen van goede wil, voor de rechter slepen. Hoe krom kan recht zijn? Lees de petitie en teken deze ajb!
Hier de petitie van SierraRise:
I have some news — as of this week, I’m a criminal.
And so are the people of Ecuador who stood against Chevron for poisoning
the Amazon with 18 billion gallons of toxic oil waste in its ruthless
quest for more profit. [1]
In a blatant attempt to avoid a massive judgment against it in Ecuador’s
courts, Chevron has twisted the RICO Act — legislation designed to
target mobsters — to silence their critics and have them labeled as
criminals. [2, 3] Shockingly,
a U.S. judge actually sided with Chevron on Tuesday, ruling against the
people who fought so hard to bring the oil giant to justice. [4]
It’s now possible for other wealthy corporations to attack activists
like you and me just for speaking out and exposing their actions — but
we’re not going to stand for this.
Last month, SierraRise supporters like you sent more than
100,000 messages urging the Senate to fight back against Chevron — and
we’re not done yet!
For nearly two decades, Texaco, now part of Chevron, dumped oil waste
into the pristine Ecuadorian Amazon, creating what’s considered by many
to be the world’s largest oil disaster. [5] Since then,
countless people like Servio Curipoma — a cacao farmer from the small
oil-ravaged town of San Carlos — and his family have suffered a plague
of deadly cancers and devastating birth defects. [6]
Instead of doing what’s right and paying for its pollution, Chevron has
waged a non-stop campaign of intimidation against villagers like Servio
and the activists who support them. The oil giant has even gone so far
as to attack a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for his anti-Chevron
art. [7]
This verdict sets a dangerous precedent for anyone who values their
right to speak out when a corporation puts greed before people or the
environment. Like Deepak Gupta, a lawyer fighting Chevron, said on
Tuesday, “Today’s decision should be extremely troubling for anybody who
cares about the rule of law.” [8]
It is time to show Chevron that it may have won in one courtroom in New York, but it will never defeat us.
Sign the pledge to stand with the people of Ecuador and show Chevron we won’t be silenced!
In it together,
Ashley Allison
SierraRise Senior Campaigner
P.S. Five signatures are even more powerful than one — after you take action, be sure to forward this alert to your friends, family, and colleagues!
References:
1. CNN Wire Staff (2012 January 4). “Ecuador court upholds $8.6 billion ruling against Chevron.” CNN.
2. Anderson, Mitch (2011 February 16). “Chevron Found Guilty in Amazon Pollution Case.” San Francisco Chronicle.
3. Baker, David R. (2011 February 2). “Chevron files RICO suit in Ecuador case.” San Francisco Chronicle.
4. Hinton, Karen (2014 March 4). “Chevron’s
Flawed RICO Decision in Ecuador Case Violates First Amendment and Will
Backfire In International Courts, Defendants Say.” The Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire.
5. Zelman, Joanna (2011 January 24). “Chevron Accused Of ‘World’s Worst Oil-Related Disaster’ In Ecuador: Alleged Evidence Submitted In Lawsuit.” Huffington Post.
6. Staff Writer (2010 October 14). “Chevron’s Ecuador Cancer Problem: 10,000 People at Risk of Contracting Disease in Coming Decades, Says Expert.” Business Wire.
7. Abrams, Lindsay (2014 February 5). “Chevron’s now going after political cartoonists.” Salon.
8. Ibid. 4.