Amnesty International is urging the Nigerian government to fully exonerate nine environmental activists executed 30 years ago. The activists, known as the “Ogoni Nine,” were vocal advocates for protecting the Niger Delta from the activities of the oil giant Shell.
This call comes on the 30th anniversary of the executions, which Amnesty International describes as “brutal,” and coincides with the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil. The protests led by the Ogoni Nine in 1995 brought global attention to the devastating costs of the fossil fuel industry on the climate, human lives, the environment, and the persistent poverty in oil-producing regions.
In June, the Nigerian government granted a pardon to the Ogoni Nine. While Amnesty International welcomed the move, the organization believes it falls short of delivering true justice to the men and their families.
“While the pardon is a step forward, these nine activists deserve full exoneration,” said Issa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria. “These men were unjustly executed for a crime they did not commit. Their families have suffered enough and deserve justice.”
Sanusi explained that the Ogoni Nine, led by writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, were brutally executed in 1995 by a military regime seeking to silence dissent regarding the environmental damage caused by Shell and other oil companies. These companies, he stated, devastated the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of Niger Delta residents through oil leaks and recurring spills.
Amnesty International maintains that the executions were the culmination of a violent crackdown by the Nigerian military regime aimed at suppressing the protests of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), led by Ken Saro-Wiwa. MOSOP protested against the pollution caused by oil spills and gas flaring.
“Extensive Amnesty International reports have found that Shell deliberately encouraged and supported the military authorities to stop the protests, despite prior knowledge of human rights violations committed by those authorities,” Sanusi added. The organization believes a full exoneration is essential to acknowledge the injustice and provide closure for the families of the Ogoni Nine.
