Amazon Defense Coalition: High-Stakes Trial in San Francisco Focuses Attention on Chevron's Growing Human Rights Problems Around Globe.Oil Giant Seems Increasingly Out of Step with Industry Rivals with Accusations It Helped Orchestrate Deaths of Nigerian Villagers Hiring of Bush Administration "Torture Lawyer" Latest Controversy SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden -- Chevron is embarking today on a high stakes High Stakes is a British sitcom starring Richard Wilson that aired in 2001. It was written by Tony Sarchet. The second series remains unaired after the first received a poor reception. defense in U.S. federal court against charges that it helped orchestrate the killing of two Nigerian villagers at a time when its corporate legal department is under mounting pressure for disregarding human rights issues, an environmental group said today. Chevron's recent high-profile hiring of William J. Haynes, a former Bush Administration lawyer implicated im·pli·cate tr.v. im·pli·cat·ed, im·pli·cat·ing, im·pli·cates 1. To involve or connect intimately or incriminatingly: evidence that implicates others in the plot. 2. in the torture scandal at Guantanamo Bay Noun 1. Guantanamo Bay - an inlet of the Caribbean Sea; a United States naval station was established on the bay in 1903 bay, embayment - an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf , is the latest sign that Chevron's legal department has become increasingly callous to human rights concerns, said Kevin Koenig, an organizer with Amazon Watch, which monitors the company's human rights and environmental record. "Of all the U.S. oil companies, Chevron is the most out of step when it comes to human rights issues at a time when those issues are becoming more important to the ability of American companies to access supply around the world," Koenig said. A myriad of human rights troubles are stacking up against the oil giant: a $16.3 liability in a civil case in Ecuador over rainforest contamination that has led to the decimation DECIMATION. The punishment of every tenth soldier by lot, was, among the Romans, called decimation. of five indigenous tribes, the criminal indictments in Ecuador of two Chevron lawyers for lying about a purported clean-up, and Chevron's partnership with the Burmese military dictatorship A military dictatorship is a form of government wherein the political power resides with the military; it is similar but not identical to a , a state ruled directly by the military. on a pipeline project where charges have been leveled of rape, murder, and forced conscription conscription, compulsory enrollment of personnel for service in the armed forces. Obligatory service in the armed forces has existed since ancient times in many cultures, including the samurai in Japan, warriors in the Aztec Empire, citizen militiamen in ancient . These problems are in addition to a scathing report by the U.S. Interior Department that recently found Chevron employees were trading drugs and sex to bribe government employees to lower royalty payments for drilling on federal lands. Chevron was the only oil company investigated to refuse to cooperate with the government probe. "Chevron loves to thumb its nose at any entity which tries to hold it accountable, but it is not so easy to do that to a federal judge overseeing a trial," Koenig added, referring to the Nigeria case. Among the human rights troubles focusing attention on the oil company: * In the San Francisco case, which is taking place just miles from Chevron headquarters in San Ramon San Ramon (Spanish for "Saint Raymond") may refer to one of the following places:
* In Ecuador, two Chevron lawyers and several former Ecuador government officials are under indictment for lying about the results of a purported environmental remediation Generally, remediation means providing a remedy, so environmental remediation deals with the removal of pollution or contaminants from environmental media such as soil, groundwater, sediment, or surface water for the general protection of human health and the environment or from a designed to help Chevron escape a potential multi-billion civil liability pending in U.S. court. Chevron was recently assessed damages by an Ecuador court of up to $16.3 billion - almost one year of profits -- for creating what experts believe is the worst oil-related disaster on earth. The lawyers face prison terms of up to ten years if convicted, and the company faces the largest civil judgment in history for an environmental problem. * In Burma, Chevron has been under intense criticism for partnering in a pipeline project that produces close to $1 billion annually for the country's military regime, considered along with North Korea one of the worst human rights violators in the world. In a recently released report by Earth Rights International, a non-profit human rights organization, Chevron is accused of having potential liability for murder, rape, and forced conscription by Burmese soldiers related to the project. The hiring of Haynes as Chevron's deputy general counsel, however, is bound to cause the company even more problems. As General Counsel at the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Haynes approved several controversial interrogation interrogation In criminal law, process of formally and systematically questioning a suspect in order to elicit incriminating responses. The process is largely outside the governance of law, though in the U.S. methods such as water boarding, the use of dogs, nudity, hooding, humiliation, and isolation. His role has been detailed in a long article in Vanity Fair and in various books, and there is an effort in Germany to have him indicted INDICTED, practice. When a man is accused by a bill of indictment preferred by a grand jury, he is said to be indicted. on criminal charges relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc torture. Chevron's General Counsel, Charles S. James, is an old friend of Haynes from their work together in the Bush Administration when James was at the Justice Department, said Koenig. It was widely known in legal circles that Haynes had been rejected for a federal judgeship and was having difficulty landing a job because of his role in providing legal cover for torture. "Haynes has been radioactive for years and it is shocking a major public company would give its General Counsel the authority to hire someone widely seen as an international pariah," said Koenig. Compared to its rivals, Chevron is also losing ground in making human rights a priority. BP and Shell, for example, have an extensive human rights policies while Chevron has yet to develop one - an issue that a group of large Chevron shareholders recently raised as a concern. About the Amazon Defense Coalition The Amazon Defense Coalition represents dozens of rainforest communities and five indigenous groups that inhabit Ecuador's Northern Amazon region. The mission of the Coalition is to protect the environment and secure social justice through grass roots grass roots pl.n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) 1. People or society at a local level rather than at the center of major political activity. Often used with the. 2. The groundwork or source of something. organizing, political advocacy, and litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. . |
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