Nigeria's Esther Kiobel is taking on one of the world's biggest oil companies in a final fight for justice over her husband's killing. She's pursued Shell for 22 years, accusing the company of colluding in her husband's 1995 execution.
Shell's quest for oil has devastated the once fertile land in the Niger Delta. Communities have been left destitute from decades of pollution. Oil spills have ravaged farmland and rivers, contaminating their water and putting their health at grave risk. In the 1990s, Shell seemingly would stop at nothing to make sure they were turning a profit. The company urged Nigeria's military government to deal with environmental protests – knowing full well what that could mean. The military killed and tortured people in a brutal crackdown that culminated in the 1995 sham trial and hanging of nine Nigerian men, including Esther's husband, Dr Barinem Kiobel.
Losing her husband tore Esther's world apart. Fearing for her life, she fled Nigeria with her children. She never stopped struggling to have her husband's name cleared.
This month, Esther is taking Shell to court in the Netherlands in what will be a tense David vs Goliath face-off. Shell wants to belittle her claims and keep her complaints out of the public eye. But Esther won't let them make her feel small. Neither should we.
Tell Shell you're with Esther.
Send us your message and we will make sure Shell gets it – and that Esther knows you're standing with her. Feel free to add a comment to personalise your message as much as you like.
Dear Shell,
I’m shocked that Shell’s quest for oil and profit in Nigeria has helped to unleash a slew of human rights abuses that have torn up lives in the Niger Delta. These include the 1995 killing of nine Nigerian men, among them Dr Barinem Kiobel, husband of Esther Kiobel.
Esther is taking the hugely brave step of facing your company in court. I’m here to say that try as Shell might to keep Esther’s plight out of the public eye, I won’t let them. I stand alongside legions of others. We are with Esther Kiobel. And we will do everything we can to share her story so that Shell is forced to account for its role in the execution of Esther’s husband.
[Your comments here]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
