Testimony in the U.S. Senate

This week Ka Hsaw Wa from EarthRights International and Nnimmo Bassey from Environmental Rights Action gave testimony to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on how oil companies deploy military force against peaceful protesters in Burma and Nigeria, in a hearing on the human rights responsibilities of american oil companies.

Nnimmo's full testimony is excellent and very comprehensive. He showed how silencing peaceful protest with military means leads to violent insurgency

Oil companies, including Chevron and Shell, have repeatedly used the Nigerian military to violently repress Delta inhabitants’ peaceful protests, causing deaths and injuries, and creating an environment in which ordinary citizens are unable to exercise their rights to free expression.

And advocates dialogue

Extractive industries such as oil and gas companies must learn to listen to the complaints of the local people in whose territories they carry out their business. They need to understand that the environment is the life of the people and that continual degradation of the environment directly affects the means of livelihood of the people. The Ogoni, the Ilaje, and their fellow protesters chose the best route out of the mire that the Niger Delta has become: through nonviolent dialogue. This is what was demanded ten years ago. This demand still remains to be answered.

The senator who lead the hearing concluded by saying that he fails to understand why bribery by american companies can be prosecuted, while abuse of human rights through destorying people's livelihoods cannot. He regretted that Chevron had chosen not to show up.

Watch the video recording of the hearing, and download Nnimmo's full testimony from Earthrights International.