Earth Rights Int'l ERI

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</font></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">4 23 email drilled</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>on Monday this week the Supreme Court finally weighed in on whether it would take up the jurisdictional argument that oil companies are making in multiple climate liability suits.</b>&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The companies have been arguing for the past five years that these cases, brought on behalf of municipalities and states, are asking state courts for judgements that would impact federal policy and thus belong in state court. Attorneys representing state and local arguments have argued that their cases—</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">which claim that oil companies' delay tactics on climate increased the cost of adaptation and thus the companies are liable for a portion of those costs—were appropriately filed in state court. Every circuit court has agreed,</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;as has the Department of Justice,&nbsp;</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">and now the Supreme Court as well.</b></font></p><blockquote style="margin: 2em 0px; padding: 0px 25px; border-left: 2px solid rgb(1, 0, 0); line-height: 1.6em; letter-spacing: -0.2px;"><p style="margin: 0.8em 0px; line-height: 1.6em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"The companies' history of climate, deception, and misinformation, coupled with their unchecked fossil fuel production promotion, and so on, it makes them liable for at least some of the costs that these communities face, so that these costs don't fall entirely on the taxpayers." — Marco Simons,&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">EarthRights International,&nbsp;</span>attorney representing Boulder and other Colorado municipalities against oil companies.</font></p></blockquote><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="100%" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px auto 1.5em; border: 1px solid rgb(229, 239, 245); border-collapse: collapse; width: 560px; border-radius: 3px;"><tbody><tr style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px;"><td valign="top" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: top;"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="100%" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; width: 558.4px;"><tbody><tr style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px;"><td width="60" valign="top" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: top;">[audio]</td><td valign="center" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px;"><a href="https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m=bf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de" target="blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m%3Dbf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de&source=gmail&ust=1682873162973000&usg=AOvVaw1uRgXPsH1qpkPsSdF2cYKM" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; display: block;" /><a href="https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m=bf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de" target="blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m%3Dbf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de&source=gmail&ust=1682873162973000&usg=AOvVaw1uRgXPsH1qpkPsSdF2cYKM" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; display: block;" /><a href="https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m=bf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de" target="blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m%3Dbf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de&source=gmail&ust=1682873162973000&usg=AOvVaw1uRgXPsH1qpkPsSdF2cYKM" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; display: block;" /><a href="https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m=bf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de" target="blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m%3Dbf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de&source=gmail&ust=1682873162973000&usg=AOvVaw1uRgXPsH1qpkPsSdF2cYKM" style="text-decoration-line: none; 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font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; display: block;" /><a href="https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m=bf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de" target="blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m%3Dbf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de&source=gmail&ust=1682873162973000&usg=AOvVaw1uRgXPsH1qpkPsSdF2cYKM" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; display: block;" /><a href="https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m=bf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de" target="blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m%3Dbf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de&source=gmail&ust=1682873162973000&usg=AOvVaw1uRgXPsH1qpkPsSdF2cYKM" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; display: block;" /><a href="https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m=bf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de" target="blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m%3Dbf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de&source=gmail&ust=1682873162973000&usg=AOvVaw1uRgXPsH1qpkPsSdF2cYKM" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; display: block;" /><a href="https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m=bf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de" target="blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.drilledpodcast.com/r/f275a8ce?m%3Dbf6fa0ec-1090-4b3f-b920-7e98d9adb3de&source=gmail&ust=1682873162973000&usg=AOvVaw1uRgXPsH1qpkPsSdF2cYKM" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; display: block;" /><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="100%" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; width: 478.4px;"><tbody /></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center; padding-top: 5px; line-height: 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Suncor, a Canadian company whose U.S. subsidiary is headquartered in Colorado, is a defendant in the Boulder climate case.&nbsp;</b></font></div></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.6em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It's big news, but what will it mean for these cases? Some of them, including Boulder, which was the case invoked in the initial petition to the Supreme Court, will go back to arguing against other motion-to-dismiss arguments in state court. But others, starting with Hawaii, will move towards trial and that's a really big deal because it means some of these cases will get into the phase of litigation oil companies have been trying their hardest to avoid: discovery. In civil cases, the discovery phase is when companies will be asked to hand over documents and make their executives available for depositions. The evidence gathered during discovery in these cases could spell trouble for the oil company defendants in multiple other cases, including ongoing fraud suits in Massachusetts and Minnesota, a&nbsp;<b style="background-color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">RICO, or racketeering, case filed on behalf of Puerto Rican municipalities</b>, and even international cases given that the majority of these companies operate globally.</font></p><blockquote style="margin: 2em 0px; padding: 0px 25px; border-left: 2px solid rgb(1, 0, 0); line-height: 1.6em; letter-spacing: -0.2px;"><p style="margin: 0.8em 0px; line-height: 1.6em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"At this point, we're optimistic about moving forward and securing justice for our clients, who have been facing significant harms and costs due to the climate crisis while the oil companies, of course, continue to profit from their deception and misinformation." —Marco Simons, EarthRights International</font></p></blockquote>[audio]
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.6em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">But of course, oil majors have not put all their eggs in the jurisdictional basket. As I've been writing about for years now, one of the key arguments&nbsp;</span><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">they're making in these cases is a&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">First Amendment</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;argument. In broad strokes, the argument goes like this: anything they've ever said about climate was in the interest of shaping policy, which makes it political speech (or "petitioning speech" in legalese), and therefore protected. It was clear this was going to be the driving force of these cases when the oil company defendants appointed</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">&nbsp;Chevron's attorney, Ted Boutrous with Gibson Dunn, as their spokesperson across the board. Boutrous is a renowned First Amendment attorney, and Gibson Dunn is the firm that brought and won the most famous corporate free speech in the country's history: Citizens United</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;And now, even as the broader jurisdictional argument seems to be dead in the water, oil companies have formulated another one: the First Amendment question in these cases is foundational, and is not something that state courts should be weighing in on.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.6em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That argument has already been briefed in multiple cases, and it's only a matter of time before it makes its way to the most pro-corporate Supreme Court this country has had in decades...maybe ever. In the meantime, cases will move forward, and it's possible that so many cases moving into discovery will prompt discussion of a tobacco-style settlement. But I wouldn't go counting those chickens just yet.</font></p></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p></div></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
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</font></div><div><a href="https://flarecord.com/stories/512480648-fort-lauderdale-says-it-has-no-intention-of-filing-suit-against-fossil-fuel-companies-over-climate-change"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://flarecord.com/stories/512480648-fort-lauderdale-says-it-has-no-intention-of-filing-suit-against-fossil-fuel-companies-over-climate-change</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div class="text-gray-3 fz-15" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); outline: none !important;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder; outline: none !important;"><a class="strong text-gray-2" href="https://flarecord.com/author/john-breslin" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; outline: none !important; text-decoration-line: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">John Breslin</font></a></span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important;"><a class="text-gray-2" href="https://flarecord.com/stories/2019/may" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; outline: none !important; text-decoration-line: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><b>May 6, 2019</b></font></a></div></div><div class="fz-18 my-2 fw-400 story-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important; margin-top: 0.5rem !important; margin-bottom: 0.5rem !important;"><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">FORT LAUDERDALE - Efforts by environmental groups to encourage Florida cities and counties to sue fossil fuel companies appear to be foundering as one city lobbied says it has no intention of filing one.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Municipalities, counties, and even states have filed suits against oil and gas companies, including giants such as Exxon, claiming the companies knew that burning fossil fuels contributed to damaging climate change, but concealed the information.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Last October, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission heard from&nbsp;</span><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Earthrights International (ERI)</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, a Washington D.C.-based environmental advocacy group involved in a number of similar suits in various parts of the country.</span></b></font></p><p class="entry-img-desc entry-img-float float-left mr-3" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 1rem; max-width: 380px; outline: none !important; float: left !important; margin-right: 1rem !important;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important;" /><small class="img max-300" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 300px; line-height: 16px; outline: none !important;">Seth Platt, a lobbyist with LSN Partners.</small></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ERI&nbsp;<b>appears</b>&nbsp;to have worked with other groups in pushing cities in Florida to file suits, according to emails obtained by the&nbsp;<em style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important;">Florida Record.</em>&nbsp;One of those groups, the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD), was represented by Miami Beach lobbyist, Seth Platt, of LSN Partners.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Representatives attempted to persuade the commission to file suit, arguing that fossil fuel companies should be liable for the cost to the municipality to combat the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels. It has not worked, yet.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"We have no intention of filing a lawsuit," Alain E. Boileau, city attorney, told the&nbsp;<em style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important;">Florida Record</em>&nbsp;after the city was asked for an update following last October's presentation.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Other government entities in south Florida were reported to be in contact with the environmental organizations, including Miami-Dade County</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But a spokesperson for Mayor Carlos Gimenez told the&nbsp;<em style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important;">Florida Record</em>: “We’ve checked with the county attorney’s office, and there has been no discussion regarding any such lawsuits."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Another reported target was the City of Miami Beach.&nbsp;</b>In a brief statement to the&nbsp;<em style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important;">Florida Record,</em>&nbsp;city spokesperson, Melissa Berthier, said, "Regrettably, the City of Miami Beach is disinclined to discuss this subject matter."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed across the country, from California, to Colorado, to New York City. Most are filed by coastal municipalities.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But, in one consequential decision, a suit filed by San Francisco and Oakland arguing under public nuisance laws was dismissed by a federal court in California.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Judge William Alsup, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, found that the issue of climate change “deserves a solution on a more vast scale than can be supplied by a district judge or jury in a public nuisance case." An appeal was filed.</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some of the suits involved ERI, which promises to help organize legal action at no cost to a municipality. The group managed to secure a hearing before the Fort Lauderdale City Commission last October.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ERI program director Marco Simons, told the commissioners the suits “primarily seek reimbursement for some of the costs of adapting to climate change and its impacts - which likely requires billions of dollars for Fort Lauderdale.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"It is that the fossil fuel industry, for years, pursued a strategy of reckless production while knowing that it would result in serious climate impacts - and both concealing and misleading the public about that knowledge,” Simons said.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Emails were sent earlier in the year to Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis and his chief of staff, Scott Wyman, referring to upcoming meetings.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One sent in June was from lobbyist Platt, who stated his client was IGSD.<b>&nbsp;One of its projects, the Center for Climate Integrity, is headed by Richard Wiles, who also publishes Climate Liability News (CLN).</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Center for Climate Integrity's "central goal is to accelerate corporate and governmental policy changes that speed the energy transition from fossil fuels to clean energy sources and that otherwise contribute to a safe climate," according to the IGSD. "One way to advance this goal is to require fossil fuel producers to bear the cost of the damage caused by their products."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Platt, in an email June 2018, referring to an upcoming meeting, stated his client was trying to collaborate with an organization called the Environmental Research Institute and an individual, Jorge Mursuli, whom he said was working with the City of Miami to file a lawsuit against the fossil fuel companies.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"I have invited Jorge Mursuli to the meeting," Platt wrote in the email, which also contained a run down of relevant information, including ongoing cases and a survey of Florida residents, which he wrote "overwhelmingly support making polluters pay."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The second email, from Mursuli to the mayor, with Wyman and Platt cc'd, was sent in the middle of July and also referred to an upcoming meeting. Mursuli made clear that ERI "(not Environmental Research Institute) was leading the efforts to explore the possibility of litigation."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He added that "it makes sense that our lead counsel at Earthrights comes see you and your team to best discuss potential strategy."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Platt is registered as a lobbyist in Fort Lauderdale for IGSD, but not ERI. He did not reply to several messages asking for comment.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">William Large, of the Florida Justice Reform Institute said many want to blame a problem on a "company with deep pockets."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; outline: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"An essential element of every tort case is ‘causation',” Large told the&nbsp;<em style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important;">Florida Record</em>. "There is no evidence that fossil fuel companies ‘caused’ climate change. As such, these type of lawsuits lack merit."</font></p></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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text-decoration-line: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjADegQICRAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjADegQICRAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjADegQICRAB" style="cursor: pointer; 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text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjADegQICRAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjADegQICRAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjADegQICRAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjADegQICRAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjADegQICRAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="S3Uucc">Industrial-scale copper mining begins in Ecuador at Chinese ...</span></a></font></h3>
<div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.57; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 1px;"><cite class="iUh30 bc" style="font-style: normal; padding-top: 1px; line-height: 1.5;">https://www.efe.com › English edition › Business</cite></div><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; position: relative; margin: 1px 3px 0px; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="GHDvEf ab_button" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=amazon+mine+mirador+project+ecuador&oq=amazon+mine+mirador+project+ecuador&aqs=chrome..69i57.9542j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#" id="am-b3" aria-label="Result Options" aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" jsaction="m.tdd;keydown:m.hbke;keypress:m.mskpe" data-ved="2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8Q7B0wA3oECAkQBA" style="border-radius: 0px; cursor: default; font-weight: bold; height: 12px; line-height: 27px; margin: 1px 0px 2px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; transition: none 0s ease 0s; user-select: none; background-image: none; border: 0px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 0px 0px; filter: none; width: 13px; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline-block;"><span class="mn-dwn-arw" style="border-color: rgb(0, 102, 33) transparent; border-style: solid; border-width: 5px 4px 0px; width: 0px; height: 0px; margin-left: 3px; top: 7.5px; margin-top: -4px; position: absolute; left: 0px;" /></a><div class="action-menu-panel ab_dropdown" role="menu" tabindex="-1" jsaction="keydown:m.hdke;mouseover:m.hdhne;mouseout:m.hdhue" data-ved="2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QqR8wA3oECAkQBQ" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: auto; top: 12px; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 3; transition: opacity 0.218s ease 0s; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 2px 4px; left: 0px; visibility: hidden;"><ol style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><li class="action-menu-item ab_dropdownitem" role="menuitem" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: none; user-select: none; cursor: pointer;"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:AawYfn30NtUJ:https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search%3Fq%3Dcache:AawYfn30NtUJ:https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031%2B%26cd%3D4%26hl%3Den%26ct%3Dclnk%26gl%3Dus&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QIDADegQICRAG" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /></li></ol></div></div></div><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.57;"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:AawYfn30NtUJ:https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search%3Fq%3Dcache:AawYfn30NtUJ:https://www.efe.com/efe/english/business/industrial-scale-copper-mining-begins-in-ecuador-at-chinese-owned-project/50000265-4026031%2B%26cd%3D4%26hl%3Den%26ct%3Dclnk%26gl%3Dus&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QIDADegQICRAG" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.57; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="f" style="line-height: 1.57;">Jul 18, 2019 -&nbsp;</span>Industrial-scale copper&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: bold;">mining</span>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: bold;">Ecuador</span>&nbsp;kicked off on Thursday at a Chinese-<wbr />owned&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: bold;">project</span>&nbsp;in the country's southeastern&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: bold;">Amazon</span>&nbsp;region. ... The open-pit Condor-<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mirador mine</span>, which will initially produce 10,000 tons of&nbsp;...</font></span></a></div></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; width: 600px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 27px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="CAcQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFSgAMAR6BAgHEAA"><div class="rc" style="position: relative;"><div class="r" style="margin: 0px; line-height: 1.57;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjAEegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /></font><h3 class="LC20lb" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.3;"><a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjAEegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjAEegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjAEegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjAEegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjAEegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjAEegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjAEegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjAEegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjAEegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjAEegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjAEegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QFjAEegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="S3Uucc">Ecuador: Local communities continue to oppose mining ...</span></a></font></h3>
<div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.57; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 1px;"><cite class="iUh30 bc" style="font-style: normal; padding-top: 1px; line-height: 1.5;">https://www.business-humanrights.org › ecuador-local-communities-contin...</cite></div><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; position: relative; margin: 1px 3px 0px; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="GHDvEf ab_button" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=amazon+mine+mirador+project+ecuador&oq=amazon+mine+mirador+project+ecuador&aqs=chrome..69i57.9542j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#" id="am-b4" aria-label="Result Options" aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" jsaction="m.tdd;keydown:m.hbke;keypress:m.mskpe" data-ved="2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8Q7B0wBHoECAcQAw" style="border-radius: 0px; cursor: default; font-weight: bold; height: 12px; line-height: 27px; margin: 1px 0px 2px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; transition: none 0s ease 0s; user-select: none; background-image: none; border: 0px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 0px 0px; filter: none; width: 13px; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline-block;"><span class="mn-dwn-arw" style="border-color: rgb(0, 102, 33) transparent; border-style: solid; border-width: 5px 4px 0px; width: 0px; height: 0px; margin-left: 3px; top: 7.5px; margin-top: -4px; position: absolute; left: 0px;" /></a><div class="action-menu-panel ab_dropdown" role="menu" tabindex="-1" jsaction="keydown:m.hdke;mouseover:m.hdhne;mouseout:m.hdhue" data-ved="2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QqR8wBHoECAcQBA" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: auto; top: 12px; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 3; transition: opacity 0.218s ease 0s; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 2px 4px; left: 0px; visibility: hidden;"><ol style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><li class="action-menu-item ab_dropdownitem" role="menuitem" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: none; user-select: none; cursor: pointer;"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:OX5vE0gdGQoJ:https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search%3Fq%3Dcache:OX5vE0gdGQoJ:https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies%2B%26cd%3D5%26hl%3Den%26ct%3Dclnk%26gl%3Dus&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QIDAEegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /></li></ol></div></div></div><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.57;"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:OX5vE0gdGQoJ:https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search%3Fq%3Dcache:OX5vE0gdGQoJ:https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies%2B%26cd%3D5%26hl%3Den%26ct%3Dclnk%26gl%3Dus&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QIDAEegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.57; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="f" style="line-height: 1.57;">May 31, 2018 -&nbsp;</span>"Chinese Companies in the&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: bold;">Ecuadorian Mining</span>&nbsp;Sector: The cases of ... de Panantza, located at the South of the&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: bold;">Ecuadorian Amazon</span>. In our parishes, there are two copper&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: bold;">mining projects</span>:&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mirador</span>&nbsp;and San Carlos Panantza.</font></span></a></div></div></div></div></div><div><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:OX5vE0gdGQoJ:https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search%3Fq%3Dcache:OX5vE0gdGQoJ:https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies%2B%26cd%3D5%26hl%3Den%26ct%3Dclnk%26gl%3Dus&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QIDAEegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" color="#000000">
</font></a><div><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:OX5vE0gdGQoJ:https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search%3Fq%3Dcache:OX5vE0gdGQoJ:https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ecuador-local-communities-continue-to-oppose-mining-projects-in-ecuadorian-amazon-backed-by-chinese-companies%2B%26cd%3D5%26hl%3Den%26ct%3Dclnk%26gl%3Dus&ved=2ahUKEwiHkpiZ0qHmAhXcJzQIHUpzBM8QIDAEegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://earthrights.org/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://earthrights.org/</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 20px; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 400; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Our History</font></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the early 1990s, two multinational oil companies—Total of France and Unocal of the United States—formed a partnership with Myanmar’s (Burma’s) notorious State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). They planned to exploit natural gas reserves in the Andaman Sea and build the Yadana gas pipeline into Thailand. Their contract stipulated that military units would procure labor and provide security for the project. In carrying out its part of the deal, the Burmese army transformed a previously peaceful area into a highly militarized pipeline corridor, resulting in forced labor, land grabs, torture, rape, extrajudicial killings, and attacks on indigenous and ethnic minority peoples. Big oil had partnered with a pariah military junta, and together they were getting away with murder.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Two young U.S. law students and an exiled human rights activist from Rangoon were determined to make sure that they didn’t. Deep in the jungle of Burma, they decided to join forces and establish ERI.<b> Ka Hsaw Wa, a young man from the Karen ethnic minority who at 18 had been jailed and tortured by the Burmese government, trained a team of local human rights investigators for a secret journey across the border into the pipeline region where they began their listening project. </b>One by one they sat down with villagers who had experienced or witnessed human rights abuses at the hands of the Myanmar military. Using pencils, small notebooks, tape recorders, and disposable cameras that they could hide and destroy at a moment’s notice, they collected first-hand testimonies from hundreds of victims and witnesses who lived in the pipeline corridor or who had fled to the Thai border to escape the abuse. The evidence confirmed what the local villagers had known since the companies first arrived in their lands: the human rights abuses that they were experiencing were directly connected to the pipeline and to the foreign companies that were building it.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While Ka Hsaw Wa and his team documented human rights violations, Katie and Tyler pored over their law school textbooks in the U.S., seeking a legal route to end the pipeline abuses. Their professors and others told them that there was no solution: corporations were only subject to the laws of the land in which they were operating. In the case of Burma, where U.S. business partners in the military-ruled with an iron fist, this meant they were subject to martial law, which the generals defined as “no law at all”. Unocal—and indeed every multinational corporation operating outside its home jurisdiction – was above the law. The globalization of markets and economies had not led to a corresponding globalization of justice, and the people of Burma were paying the price for a huge international legal loophole.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">On one side of the planet, the people in the pipeline region worried to Ka Hsaw Wa that nobody would listen to their stories. On the other side of the world, legal experts told Katie and Tyler that they couldn’t sue an oil company for human rights abuses. Together, the three of them responded: “You’re just saying that because nobody ever has”. Together, they set out to do the impossible, and ERI was born. With a grant of $35,000 from the Echoing Green Foundation to combine the power of law and the power of people in defense of human rights and the environment, ERI’s first order of business was to sue Unocal and Total for human rights abuses in Burma.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> The stories that Ka Hsaw Wa collected together with Katie and Tyler’s “crazy” legal theories&nbsp;became the basis of the groundbreaking lawsuit&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><em style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Doe v. Unocal</em><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, &nbsp;which made legal history and changed the landscape of corporate accountability and human rights forever. From the jungles of Burma to U.S. courtrooms and boardrooms, ERI waged a David and Goliath battle to <b>make legal history. They established the principle that corporations must be held to international human rights laws wherever they operate and that survivors of egregious abuses must be allowed to tell their stories and be heard.</b></span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>...</b></span></font></p><h1 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 400; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 0px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ka Hsaw Wa</font></h1><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 20px; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 400; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Co-founder & Executive Director</font></h4><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Region: Global Leadership and Management</font></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ka Hsaw Wa is Co-founder and Executive Director of EarthRights International, and a member of the Karen ethnic nationality from&nbsp;Myanmar (Burma). He received his M.A. from the School for International Training (SIT) in Intercultural&nbsp;Leadership and Management. In 1988 after he was captured and tortured, he participated in the 1988 student uprising calling for human rights, democracy and an end to military rule. In the ensuing crackdown by the Burmese regime, he fled the country. Since that time, he has traveled clandestinely to remote areas of Burma to interview witnesses and victims of human rights abuses perpetrated by the junta and exposed these abuses to the international community.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the course of this investigation, Ka Hsaw Wa realized that his people face another threat—that of transnational corporate investment aimed at exploiting Burma’s resources. He found that the killings, rape, torture, forced labor and relocation of villages were all connected to the exploitation of natural resources in the name of development. In particular, the Yadana pipeline which cuts through the Tennaserim region of Burma has been the cause of widespread brutality and forced labor, compounding the persecution of ethnic minorities populating this area.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 1995, Ka Hsaw Wa joined two American lawyers to found EarthRights International (ERI), an organization initially conceived in response to the Yadana Project. Subsequently, ERI has applied the earth rights concept to other regions in the world where protection of human rights and the environment is intrinsically connected. As ERI’s co-director, Ka Hsaw Wa has been instrumental in the creation of new strategies for corporate and government accountability as well as innovative training programs aimed at building the capacity of indigenous peoples to protect their rights, restore control over natural resources and conserve the environment.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ka Hsaw Wa has been honored for his work with the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goldmanprize.org/recipient/ka-hsaw-wa/" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">Goldman Environmental Prize in 1999</a>,&nbsp;&nbsp;the&nbsp;Reebok Human Rights Award in 1999,&nbsp;the Conde Nast Environmental Award in 1999,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Sting and Trudie Styler Award for Human Rights and the Environment in 2004, and the&nbsp;<a href="http://rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Citation/CitationWaKah.htm" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership in 2009</a>. In speaking tours around the world, Ka Hsaw Wa has made the international community aware of the oppression his people suffer under the military junta and inspired many new activists to take action to defend the people of&nbsp;Burma.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“We will not let them defeat us. We know the companies and their military partners have lots of money, guns, power and influence. But they do not have what we have. We have truth, we have justice, we have courage, and most importantly, we have each other to protect human rights and the environment. We will win.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><h5 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 20px; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 400; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Videos</font></h5><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR3XnplLMQY" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Ka Hsaw Wa’s Goldman Intro Video</font></a></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0hUT0WQ3VM" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Ka Hsaw Wa’s Goldman Speech</font></a></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2vKxtcLfA8" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Katie and Ka Hsaw Wa’s Speech at Bioneers</font></a></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nightline (<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h_zAQqyBF1OgQI3EfXZ22uUUI_G1Ke3W/view" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">Part 1&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Fj8F_kL01kdmBtSvCyckGHReHWCFYG0l" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">Part 2</a>)</font></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13IrUvZdDVA" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Total Denial</font></a></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.speaktruthtopowerinschool.com/defenders-map/ka-hsaw-wa" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Speak Truth to Power Feature</font></a></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>...</b></span></font></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 20px; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 400; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Our Programs and Theory of Change</font></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ERI believes that the most effective way to achieve this vision and protect peoples’ fundamental rights to life, dignity and a healthy environment is to prevent earth rights abuses before they happen and to demand justice when violations occur. We advocate for transparency and legal accountability at the global and national levels where laws and policies are made; we work to increase power on the ground, where brave individuals and communities lead the movements for a more just and sustainable future.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://earthrights.org/how-we-work/campaigns/" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">In the field</a>: Our&nbsp;<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Campaigns Program</span>&nbsp;conducts thorough investigations and implement advocacy campaigns to expose the links between natural resource exploitation and human rights abuses. We bridge gaps between frontline communities and international institutions to ensure that local voices are included in the development decisions that will impact their lives and environment.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://earthrights.org/how-we-work/training/" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">In the classroom</a>: Our&nbsp;<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Training Program</span>&nbsp;equips emerging civil society leaders with information and tools to more effectively demand their rights in local, regional and international campaigns; we also train advocates, lawyers and judges in human rights and environmental law, and legal strategies to enforce these laws.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://earthrights.org/how-we-work/litigation-and-legal-advocacy/" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">In the courtroom</a>: When all else fails, our&nbsp;<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Legal Program</span>&nbsp;takes perpetrators of earth rights abuses to court. We have challenged some of the world’s most powerful corporations and its worst human rights abusers, and won!</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">From local to global</span>:&nbsp;We seek to create the missing connections between activists and lawyers to harness strength from the collective diversity of people with whom we work. We forge strategic relationships across the world so that our staff, clients, students, co-counsel, and partners can enhance their advocacy and more effectively address shared challenges.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...</font></p><h1 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 400; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 0px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Wyatt Gjullin</font></h1><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 20px; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 400; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Staff Attorney</font></h4><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Region: Latin America</font></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Wyatt graduated from the University of Washington School of Law in 2016 where he earned both a J.D. and L.L.M. in sustainable international development law. Throughout law school, Wyatt worked with EarthRights International on cases involving indigenous communities threatened by extractive industries, including research in support of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights case&nbsp;<i style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Pueblo U’wa vs. Colombia</i>. Wyatt was also an Ella Baker intern at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where he worked on cases involving corporate accountability, government transparency, and the defense of human rights advocates. After graduation, Wyatt clerked at the Alaska Supreme Court for Chief Justice Craig Stowers. Following his clerkship, Wyatt joined the EarthRights team as a Bertha Justice Fellow. He primarily works on cases against U.S. companies, including Newmont Mining Corporation and Chiquita, that have harmed communities in Latin America. Wyatt also works on EarthRights’ climate change litigation case against Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil. Wyatt is admitted to practice in Washington State and the District of Columbia.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></p><h1 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 400; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 0px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Laura Posada</font></h1><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 20px; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 400; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bertha Justice Fellow</font></h4><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Region: Latin America</font></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Laura is a Colombian lawyer devoted to the defense of human rights, with experience working in internal armed conflict contexts together with ethnic communities and displaced populations, both in rural and urban backgrounds, promoting strategies focused on securing their basic rights.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></p><h1 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 400; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 0px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Katherine Luz Paucar Quispe</font></h1><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 20px; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 400; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bertha Justice Fellow</font></h4><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Region: Latin America</font></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Katherine Luz is a Peruvian lawyer from Cusco, with experience in litigation, defense, and promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples. She studied law and political science at the Universidad Andina del Cusco (UAC). She is currently studying to obtain a master’s degree in criminal law and criminal procedure at the San Antonio Abad University of Cusco (UNSAAC). At ERI, Katherine is Bertha Legal Fellow. As a hobby, she likes to take walks.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://earthrights.org/blog/the-unnecessary-truth-reflections-on-what-wasnt-told-in-the-chevron-ecuador-rico-case/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://earthrights.org/blog/the-unnecessary-truth-reflections-on-what-wasnt-told-in-the-chevron-ecuador-rico-case/</font></a></p><div class="mk-text-block responsive-align-left " style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Last November, Marissa took a leave of absence from ERI to volunteer on the Chevron v. Donziger&nbsp;trial in support of the Ecuadorian defendants. &nbsp;</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">These are her thoughts from the case.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">&nbsp;</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Lago Agrio, Ecuador</span>: It is a Sunday afternoon in the Sucumbíos province in Northeastern Ecuador. Donald Moncayo navigates his way across a series of floating logs at the Aguarico 4 pit. He stops and dips his hand into a thick black pool and holds it up for us to see: black crude left by Texaco’s operations.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Each year, several dozen delegations of people come down to the Oriente region of Ecuador to participate in one of Donald’s “toxic tours.” Learning about the history of contamination from Donald is how they bear witness to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.earthrights.org/blog/ecuadorian-court-issues-8-billion-judgment-against-chevron-environmental-pollution" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">one of the greatest environmental justice battles of the past century</a>.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I first met Donald under very different circumstances – when he traveled to New York last November to serve as a witness in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.earthrights.org/blog/kitchen-sink-defense-chevron-files-retaliatory-lawsuit-against-indigenous-ecuadorians-seeking" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">the now infamous trial for the retaliatory lawsuit that Chevron brought against dozens of Ecuadorian “afectados” (affected peoples), their lawyers, and supporting scientists in an effort to collaterally attack a judgment issued against it by an Ecuadorian court for decades of deliberate contamination in the Oriente</a>.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At the time, I had taken a leave of absence from ERI to serve as a volunteer on the trial team in support of the Ecuadorian defendants – the Lago Agrio plaintiffs (the LAPs). ERI has supported justice for the LAPs at various stages, but ERI was not directly involved in the trial, and my work there was independent of my work for ERI. For several months, I worked alongside an amazing team of young volunteer human rights lawyers, a handful of plaintiff-side trial lawyers, their family members and children who volunteered as paralegals, and law student externs. But the most meaningful work I did was alongside witnesses like Donald, who had traveled from Ecuador to tell their story.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Donald had never left Ecuador before; but he decided to come to New York and testify – to tell a courtroom full of Chevron lawyers and a federal judge about the legacy of contamination that he saw, smelled, and lived every day in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Donald came to New York thinking that he might speak truth to power. But when he arrived in New York, he learned that his truth had had little place.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Kafka’s,&nbsp;<em style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">The Trial</em>, there is a line that reads:<span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" transparent="transparent">“No,” said the priest, “you don’t need to accept everything as true, you only have to accept it as necessary.” “Depressing view,” said K. “The lie made into the rule of the world.”</span></font></b></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What is necessary then – necessary for the powerful to retain power, necessary for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.earthrights.org/blog/corporate-rights-or-human-rights" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">those who run the global economy to remain in control</a>&nbsp;– becomes the rule of world. Other truths, like Donald’s, become unnecessary.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At issue in the trial in New York was the validity of a judgment decided by Ecuadorian courts about facts in Ecuador under Ecuadorian law. Chevron had spent the better part of a decade arguing that the facts of the case should be heard in Ecuador, and that the courts there were competent to consider the case. That is, until Chevron lost. Badly. And then Chevron came back to New York, seeking to avoid paying the hefty judgment issued against it in Ecuador. And insisted that, when considering whether or not the Ecuadorian judgment was valid, the judge should not consider any evidence whatsoever of the existence of contamination. The judge agreed.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During the trial, witnesses like Donald were told that they could not speak about the contamination of their lands and water that Chevron’s predecessor, Texaco, had deliberately caused. The attorneys were not allowed to use the word “contamination” without approaching the bench, even in a case involving one of the largest environmental justice disputes in recent history.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As lawyers, we learn about basic rules of legal procedure designed specifically to prohibit the type of behavior that Chevron exhibited in this case. Concepts such as “comity,” “judicial and equitable estoppel,” “forum non conveniens,” “freedom of speech,” and “prohibitions upon paying fact-witnesses.” These concepts operate to prevent a party from adopting completely opposite positions on an issue for purely strategic reasons. They operate to ensure that courts in the United States respect the sovereign decisions of foreign judiciaries. They protect the right of individuals and activists to demand justice when they are wronged. They prevent parties from purchasing fact witness testimony in order to ensure that testimony is not influenced by money.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Each of these fundamental principles was flipped on its head in deference to Chevron. The company was allowed to first argue that the case should be heard in Ecuador and then change its tune when it turns out it played its hand wrong. Rather than respecting the foreign judgment, the court subjected the Ecuadorian judge to a cross-examination “pop-quiz” about his 188-page, single-spaced ruling – all done through translation where much was lost and little more was understood.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rather than protecting freedom of expression, we watched as Chevron was allowed to turn good-faith advocacy campaigns and litigation into “conspiracy” or “extortion” under a law that was intended to be used by the government to prosecute mobsters. The court condoned the expense of millions of dollars to issue wide-reaching third-party subpoenas against activists, lawyers, journalists and artists who did nothing more than speak out against what Chevron’s predecessor did in Ecuador. The court was even willing to tolerate Chevron’s practice of hiring private corporate espionage firms to spy on us and on activists and affected peoples.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And rather than considering whether testimony was improperly purchased from a fact-witness, the court credited Chevron’s star witness, a man who has admitted to both giving and receiving bribes in legal cases and who&nbsp;<a href="http://chevrontoxico.com/assets/docs/2013-09-12-motion-for-terminating-sanctions.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">Chevron will pay upwards of $300,000 by 2015 in exchange for his testimony in the case</a>.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As a young attorney who has decided to dedicate my career to advocating on behalf of communities like those harmed by Chevron, this new upside-down world – where the necessary becomes true, where power decides truth – is a terrifying prospect.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There is much that I could say about what it was like to be a part of that trial – from the small things: the everyday discrepancies between the size of Chevron’s army of lawyers versus our small team of attorneys and volunteers; or how Chevron waited until the eve of trial to drop its claims for monetary damages and thus deprived us of our right to insist upon a jury trial, after we had spent months preparing for a jury trial; or how, without a jury present, the court gave the large, comfortable jury room to the Chevron lawyers while we were left with two small rooms only large enough for three people to stand at once; to the overwhelmingly large things like the weak legal basis upon which Chevron has proceeded – without (in my opinion) any showing of such basic legal requirements as causation, injury, standing, or the ability to seek injunctive relief under a statute that many courts agree only provides for damages in civil actions.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But when Judge Kaplan’s March 4, 2014 decision in the case came down, I could think only of Donald.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When Donald arrived in New York, he was told that he could not speak his truth about the massive contamination in the Ecuadorian Amazon – that is was not necessary. Instead, with the Court’s approval, Chevron counsel served Donald with a subpoena while he was on the witness stand in open court requesting a mirror image copy of his hard drive and then told he would go to jail if he didn’t hand over what Chevron was seeking. This was so even though the discovery period had ended months before; even though the deadline for serving subpoenas had ended nearly one year before; and even though Donald Moncayo had no lawyer and spoke no English. Donald’s courage to speak the truth became just one more casualty in this upside-down world.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That night our team stayed awake well into the morning hours – trying to find Donald a lawyer. The next day, I watched as Donald got into a black car with his new lawyer, a Chevron lawyer, and a digital forensic technician hired by Chevron. Donald was gone for nearly ten hours, and when he came back, he was in tears (but no less courageous). We sat down to write a declaration together to be read in open court the next day – to express the humiliation, invasion of privacy and loss of dignity that Donald had felt. When we tried to read the declaration in open court, we were told that Chevron would seek a bench warrant which could put Donald in jail.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some weeks ago I was down in Lago Agrio with Donald, walking out upon the pits and wells left by Texaco (now Chevron) after their nearly 30 years of operations in the Oriente region. I watched as Donald showed me how pits that were supposedly “remediated” still contain thick dried black crude within a few feet of the soil. “It’s a lie,” he says as he runs the dirt through water and the water takes on the thick black sheen of crude. But a necessary lie.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During the trial, Chevron could never really deny the truth: that the contamination in the Oriente is real. This was so regardless of whether there was any merit to their RICO allegations.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One night I stayed up until 3am helping to put together a pile of evidence – Chevron’s own experts’ samples of the illegal presence of heavy metals that were submitted to the court in Lago Agrio. But when we went to introduce those samples at trial the following day during the cross-examination of Chevron’s lead scientist, Sara McMillen, the judge stopped us. The evidence never made its way in. Donald’s truth was never told.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In our own way, we each bear witness even when we act as attorneys. We watch the law decide histories, decide futures. We watch the power that the law wields and the manifold ways in which power wields the law. And a trial, an American trial – at bottom – is about story telling. But there were stories that were never told during that trial. As I sit down now to read through Judge Kaplan’s 497-page decision, it is as though our side wasn’t even in the room – or that we didn’t need to be. The story that Donald tells to any traveler willing to go out to the Oriente region of Ecuador never had its day in that New York courtroom.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During the closing arguments of the trial, the lawyer for the LAPs, Julio Gomez, began his comments by saying: &nbsp;“La sabiduria nos llega cuando ya no sirve para nada.” Julio then went on to say “Perhaps not a lot of people in this Court understood what I just said. &nbsp;And perhaps those who didn’t understand what I have just said now have, for one brief moment, a sense of what my clients felt like to participate in this. Translated into English, what I have just said means, wisdom comes to us when it is no longer useful. &nbsp;Those are the words of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, not mine. And he means to say, I think, wisdom often comes too late.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In this case, wisdom might have come too late for many of us – for those activists and lawyers who never envisioned a day when fundamental First Amendment activity becomes the basis for invasive subpoenas or worse – a RICO case; for Chevron who thought it could win in Ecuador, and then came running home when it didn’t.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[pix "War Room" (Steven Donziger is third from the left)</font></span></p><p /><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Because, as Rick Friedman, the trial attorney for Steven Donziger (Donziger is the New York lawyer who assisted the Ecuadorians in their legal struggle and become a defendant in Chevron’s RICO suit) – told the Court in his closing arguments:</font></p><blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 25px 40px; vertical-align: baseline; quotes: none; position: relative; line-height: 1.4em; border: none !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">This case is bigger than just Mr. Donziger or even the 30,000 people in Ecuador who may be affected by the Court’s ruling.…The legal compass that the Court has, the principles that it has to guide itself through these facts are important beyond this case. &nbsp;Your decision will be read by people around the world, and they will be looking for something more than whether somebody ghostwrote an expert report, or even whether somebody bribed a judge in Ecuador. &nbsp;They will also be looking to see if American courts will follow their own rules of law. They will also be looking to see whether there is going to be special exceptions, special rules for large American corporations.</font></p></blockquote><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Thousands of miles away, courts on several continents are being asked to decide what happened in the Oriente and who is to blame. They are being asked to draw lines between advocacy and extortion, between asserting rights and participating in a conspiracy. As Judge Kaplan’s opinion faces scrutiny in a court of appeals and other courts consider Chevron’s tactics and responsibility, I hope that wisdom will not come too late.</font></p></div><div class="mk-text-block responsive-align-left " style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><p class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;" /><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Photo courtesy of Rainforest Action Network</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><div class="blog-entry-heading" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px 6px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; position: relative;"><h3 class="blog-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 400; padding-right: 100px; display: inline-block; float: left;"><a href="https://earthrights.org/blog/locas-brujas-y-pelagatos-en-defensa-de-la-amazonia/" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; perspective: 1000px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Locas, brujas y pelagatos en defensa de la Amazonía>A comienzos de julio de 2015, el equipo de abogadas y antropólogas de ERI Perú participó del Encuentro de la Red de Mujeres Defensoras de Derechos Sociales y Medioambientales realizado en Quito. [...]</font></a></h3></div><div class="blog-excerpt" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 26px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div class="blog-excerpt" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 26px;"><div class="blog-entry-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px 6px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; position: relative;"><h3 class="blog-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 400; padding-right: 100px; display: inline-block; float: left;"><a href="https://earthrights.org/blog/book-review-law-of-the-jungle-by-paul-barrett/" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; perspective: 1000px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Book Review: Law of the Jungle by Paul Barrett</font></a></h3></div><div class="blog-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px 8px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 12px;"><time datetime="October 6, 2014" itemprop="datePublished" pubdate="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 6px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; float: left;"><a href="https://earthrights.org/2014/10/" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; perspective: 1000px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">October 6, 2014</font></a></time><div class="blog-categories" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; float: left;"><div class="clearboth" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; width: 0px; height: 0px; visibility: hidden; clear: both; overflow: hidden;"><div class="blog-excerpt" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 26px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I’ve just finished reading Paul Barrett’s new book, Law of the Jungle: the $19 billion Legal Battle Over Oil in the Rain Forest and the Lawyer Who’d Stop at Nothing to Win. Barrett’s book is [...]</font></div><div class="blog-excerpt" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 26px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div></div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">===</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">A Hard-Earned Victory for Indigenous Rights in Latin America: Sarayaku v. Ecuador</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">August 8, 2012</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On July 25th, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a long awaited sentence in the case of Sarayaku v. Ecuador, affirming the rule that indigenous communities throughout the Americas [...]</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">“We are water and we will flood Quito” – Ecuador´s 14-day March to Demand Respect for Water and the Right to Say “No” to Large Scale Mining</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">April 4, 2012</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On the 8th of March, International Women´s Day, and only three days after the Ecuadorian national government signed the country´s first contract for a large-scale mining project with the [...]</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></p><div class="mk-text-block responsive-align-left " style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On the 8<span style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 0; top: -0.5em;">th</span>&nbsp;of March, International Women´s Day, and only three days after the Ecuadorian national government signed the country´s first contract for a large-scale mining project with the Chinese-owned Ecuacorriente (ECSA), citizens of Ecuador´s south east Amazon started their march to the capital. They performed an indigenous&nbsp;<a href="http://marchaporlavida.net/english-2/" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">ceremony to launch their march</a>&nbsp;to Quito along the banks of the Chuchumbletza River in the parish of El Pangui – the site of my own&nbsp;<a href="http://www.sed.manchester.ac.uk/research/andes/" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">PhD fieldwork.</a></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">On the </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">22<span style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 0; top: -0.5em;">nd</span>&nbsp;of March, International Water Day,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> after two weeks of walking 700 km, thousands of marchers—including community members, indigenous people, farmers, women, students, environmentalists and workers—</span><a href="http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11585&l=1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">arrived in the capital</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;to&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.3news.co.nz/Hundreds-protest-open-pit-mine-plans-in-the-Amazon/tabid/1160/articleID/247685/Default.aspx#ixzz1psRtHP4S" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">denounce the development of large-scale mining</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;in the country.&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.fidh.org/FIDH-CEDHU-INREDH-and-CDES-call" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">Human rights groups</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;supporting the demands of the marchers called for the suspension of the large-scale project.</span></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ecuador’s President, Rafael Correa made several statements&nbsp;<a href="http://upsidedownworld.org/main/news-briefs-archives-68/3535-commentary-mining-a-leading-issue-for-marchers-in-quito" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">questioning the marchers</a>’ legitimacy. He claimed the march to be a failure from the start. He claimed that the marchers were neither indigenous nor anti-mining, but individuals attempting to destabilize the government. He tried to show popular support for his government by calling citizens to a counter-march, leading to an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17483864" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">encounter of marchers</a>&nbsp;in the streets of Quito. Although Correa did not receive the marchers, the president of Parliament Fernando Cordero did meet with a group of leaders, heard their demands, and committed to consulting with them in May 2012 regarding the Water Resources Law.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">There are number of signs of success of the anti-mining march, beyond just counting heads. First, the anti-mining march clearly showed that there is a serious discontent with the policies of Ecuador’s government on mining and</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> indigenous peoples. There is a growing polarization affecting Ecuadorian society, where cities previously in favor of mining like Cuenca—the third most populated city—came out in support of the march. The indigenous movement, seen by many as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.solidarity-us.org/node/2367" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">fragmented since Correa came to power</a>, was certainly also empowered by the march.</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Above all, it created awareness of what was up to now the least talked about but most controversial mining project in Ecuador, the <b>Mirador Project</b>. The project is located in a biodiversity hotspot; on the lands of indigenous and campesino communities that have not been consulted; in an area containing important water sources; and right on the international border with Peru, the site of various border wars between the nations.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Former Ecuadorian military personnel have found new jobs as company security guards, and since 2006, according to the 2009&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fidh.org/Large-scale-mining-project-in" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;">human rights report</a>&nbsp;carried out by CEDHU (the Comisión Ecumenica de Derechos Humanos) and FIDH (the International Federation for Human Rights), the company has allegedly been involved in human rights abuses, kidnapping and violence. Not a good start for a “responsible” mining projecthis post was written by Ximena Warnaars, former staffPrivate Arbitration Panel Ignores Human Rights, Gives Ecuador Unprecedented Order to Shield Chevron from Amazon Cleanup Costs</span></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">February 17, 2012</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On Wednesday, Marissa noted that the Lago Agrio plaintiffs – the 30,000 victims of Chevron’s toxic legacy in the Ecuadorian Amazon – had taken the step of filing a petition [...]</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Lago Agrio Case Pits International Human Rights Against International Commercial Law</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">February 16, 2012</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Lago Agrio plaintiffs’ increasingly complex struggle for justice against Chevron, and for a cleanup of their rainforest home, has taken a new turn. Last Thursday, the plaintiffs submitted a [...]</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">U.S. Appeals Court Rejects Chevron’s Attempt to Avoid $18 Billion Pollution Judgment in Ecuador</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">January 27, 2012</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about an Ecuadorean appeals court upholding an $18 billion dollar judgment against Chevron for massive oil pollution in the Amazon rainforest. The Court rejected [...]

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The Unnecessary Truth: Reflections on What Wasn’t Told in the Chevron Ecuador RICO Case</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Blog | April 15, 2014</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Leaders of Sarayaku with their lawyers and Luz Patricia Mejia of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (center)</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">A Hard-Earned Victory for Indigenous Rights in Latin America: Sarayaku v. Ecuador</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Blog | August 8, 2012</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">MORE</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Amicus Briefs in Chevron/Ecuador litigation</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Publication | February 3, 2006</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">MORE</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Criminalized Indigenous Women Environmental Defenders from Ecuador Demand their Rights at Inter-American Commission for Human Rights</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Media Release | October 19, 2015</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">MORE</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Defensoras Mujeres Indígenas de Ecuador Criminalizadas Exigen sus Derechos en la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Media Release | October 20, 2015</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">MORE</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Chevron Fights Justice in Ecuador on Two Fronts, but Needs to Win Everywhere</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Blog | May 4, 2011</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">MORE</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Kitchen Sink Defense: Chevron Files Retaliatory Lawsuit Against Indigenous Ecuadorians Seeking Amazon Cleanup</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Blog | February 3, 2011</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">MORE</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">“We are water and we will flood Quito” – Ecuador´s 14-day March to Demand Respect for Water and the Right to Say “No” to Large Scale Mining</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Blog | April 4, 2012</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">MORE</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Ecuadorean Appeals Court Upholds Huge Judgment Against Chevron for Pollution in the Amazon</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Blog | January 4, 2012</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">MORE</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Latest Developments in Chevron/Ecuador Litigation and the Kiobel Case</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; line-height: 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Blog | March 10, 2011</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
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</div><div>About us</div><div>EarthRights International (ERI) is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization that combines the power of law and the power of people in defense of earth rights. We specialize in fact-finding, legal actions against perpetrators of earth rights abuses, training grassroots and community leaders, and advocacy campaigns. Through these strategies, ERI seeks to end earth rights abuses, to provide real solutions for real people, and to promote and protect human rights and the environment in the communities where we work.</div><div>
</div><div>Website</div><div>http://www.earthrights.org</div><div>Industries</div><div>Civic & Social Organization</div><div>Company size</div><div>11-50 employees</div><div>Headquarters</div><div>Washington, DC</div><div>Type</div><div>Nonprofit</div><div>Founded</div><div>1995</div><div>Specialties</div><div>fact-finding, legal, training, advocacy</div><div>Locations</div><div>Primary</div><div>1612 K St NW</div><div>
</div><div>Washington, DC 20006, US</div><div>
</div><div>Get directions</div><div>Av. Reducto 1354, dpto. 5</div><div>
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</div><div>Get directions</div><div>Employees at EarthRights International</div><div>Kate FriedKate Fried</div><div>Kate Fried</div><div>Shalini NatarajShalini Nataraj</div><div>Shalini Nataraj</div><div>Jasper TeulingsJasper Teulings</div><div>Jasper Teulings</div><div>General Counsel / Advocaat at Greenpeace International</div><div>Marie SoveroskiMarie Soveroski</div><div>Marie Soveroski</div><div>Director of Operations at Free the Slaves</div><div>See all employees</div><div>Similar pages</div><div>Earth Rights Institute, IncEarth Rights Institute, Inc</div><div>Earth Rights Institute, Inc</div><div>Nonprofit Organization Management</div><div>Santa Monica, CA</div><div>Open Society FoundationsOpen Society Foundations</div><div>Open Society Foundations</div><div>Philanthropy</div><div>New York, NY</div><div>Accountability CounselAccountability Counsel</div><div>Accountability Counsel</div><div>Law Practice</div><div>San Francisco, CA</div><div>GreenpeaceGreenpeace</div><div>Greenpeace</div><div>Nonprofit Organization Management</div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/organization/earthrights-international"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.commondreams.org/organization/earthrights-international</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div class="field field--name-field-desc field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><div class="fielditems" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><div class="fielditem even" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">EarthRights International (ERI) is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization that combines the power of law and the power of people in defense of human rights and the environment, which we define as "earth rights." We specialize in fact-finding, legal actions against perpetrators of earth rights abuses, training grassroots and community leaders, and advocacy campaigns. Through these strategies, EarthRights International seeks to end earth rights abuses, to provide real solutions for real people, and to promote and protect human rights and the environment in the communities where we work.</font></p></div></div></div><div class="field field--name-field-org-website field--type-link-field field--label-hidden" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><div class="fielditems" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><div class="fielditem even" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.earthrights.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">EarthRights International</font></a></div></div></div><div class="field field--name-field-org-categories field--type-taxonomy-term-reference field--label-hidden" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><div class="fielditems" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><div class="fielditem even" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/organization-category/environment" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Environment</font></a></div><div class="field__item odd" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/organization-category/human-rights" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Human Rights</font></a></div></div></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><h3 class="integrated-views-title" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Releases by this organization</font></h3><div class="view view-organization-releases view-id-organization_releases view-display-id-default tertiary-news-article view-more-in-topic view-dom-id-15ad28d0bbb5c844d2312a3d5c123421" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><div class="view-content" style="box-sizing: inherit; padding-bottom: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);"><table class="views-table cols-0" style="box-sizing: inherit; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px;"><tbody style="box-sizing: inherit;"><tr style="box-sizing: inherit;"><td class="views-field views-field-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); min-width: 191px; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0px !important; float: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="node-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-transform: uppercase;">NEWSWIRE ARTICLE</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span class="date-display-single" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Tuesday, October 08, 2019</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2019/10/08/earthrights-international-urges-congress-cancel-corporate-abuse" class="article-title" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 700;">EarthRights International Urges Congress to Cancel Corporate Abuse</a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Today, EarthRights International launched Cancel Corporate Abuse , a new campaign to hold corporations accountable for human rights abuses. The campaign highlights the case of Chiquita Brands International, which for nearly a decade in the 1990s and early 2000s, secretly made monthly payments...<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2019/10/08/earthrights-international-urges-congress-cancel-corporate-abuse" class="read-more" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Read more</a></font></td></tr><tr style="box-sizing: inherit;"><td class="views-field views-field-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); min-width: 191px; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0px !important; float: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="node-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-transform: uppercase;">NEWSWIRE ARTICLE</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span class="date-display-single" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Wednesday, February 27, 2019</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2019/02/27/historic-supreme-court-win-world-bank-group-not-above-law" class="article-title" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 700;">Historic Supreme Court Win: World Bank Group Is Not Above The Law</a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />In a historic 7-1 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court decided today in Jam v. International Finance Corporation (IFC) that international organizations like the World Bank Group can be sued in U.S. courts. The Court’s decision marks a defining moment for the IFC - the arm of the World Bank Group that...<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2019/02/27/historic-supreme-court-win-world-bank-group-not-above-law" class="read-more" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Read more</a></font></td></tr><tr style="box-sizing: inherit;"><td class="views-field views-field-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); min-width: 191px; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0px !important; float: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="node-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-transform: uppercase;">NEWSWIRE ARTICLE</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span class="date-display-single" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Thursday, October 18, 2018</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/10/18/austrian-turbine-company-should-uphold-human-rights-principles-mekong-mega-dam" class="article-title" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 700;">Austrian Turbine Company Should Uphold Human Rights Principles In Mekong Mega Dam Project</a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Yesterday, the Austrian Ministry of Economic Affairs published an assessment report on the follow-up process of the OECD complaint against Andritz Hydro. EarthRights International (ERI) and its allies call jointly on Austrian turbine manufacturer Andritz Hydro to fully implement its environmental...<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/10/18/austrian-turbine-company-should-uphold-human-rights-principles-mekong-mega-dam" class="read-more" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Read more</a></font></td></tr><tr style="box-sizing: inherit;"><td class="views-field views-field-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); min-width: 191px; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0px !important; float: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="node-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-transform: uppercase;">NEWSWIRE ARTICLE</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span class="date-display-single" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Wednesday, August 01, 2018</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/08/01/us-government-opposes-absolute-immunity-world-bank-group-brief-scotus" class="article-title" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 700;">U.S. Government Opposes “Absolute” Immunity for World Bank Group in Brief to SCOTUS</a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Late yesterday, the U.S. Government urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower court decision holding that international organizations like the World Bank Group are entitled to “absolute immunity” from lawsuits in U.S. Courts – an immunity far greater than any other person or entity receives...<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/08/01/us-government-opposes-absolute-immunity-world-bank-group-brief-scotus" class="read-more" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Read more</a></font></td></tr><tr style="box-sizing: inherit;"><td class="views-field views-field-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); min-width: 191px; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0px !important; float: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="node-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-transform: uppercase;">NEWSWIRE ARTICLE</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span class="date-display-single" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Wednesday, July 25, 2018</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/07/25/court-dismisses-frivolous-and-dangerously-broad-lawsuit-against-ngo-banktrack" class="article-title" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 700;">Court Dismisses Frivolous and “Dangerously Broad” Lawsuit Against NGO BankTrack for Opposing Dakota Access Pipeline</a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Yesterday, a federal judge issued a stinging dismissal of a lawsuit by developers of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) against BankTrack , a human rights and environmental NGO dedicated to ensuring that private banks engage in sustainable financing. In 2017, Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) sued...<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/07/25/court-dismisses-frivolous-and-dangerously-broad-lawsuit-against-ngo-banktrack" class="read-more" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Read more</a></font></td></tr><tr style="box-sizing: inherit;"><td class="views-field views-field-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); min-width: 191px; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0px !important; float: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="node-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-transform: uppercase;">NEWSWIRE ARTICLE</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span class="date-display-single" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Friday, May 04, 2018</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/05/04/peruvian-farmers-appeal-fight-hold-newmont-accountable-us-court" class="article-title" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 700;">Peruvian Farmers Appeal in Fight to Hold Newmont Accountable in U.S. Court</a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />In a recent decision, a federal court in Delaware decided that Maxima Acuña Atalaya and her family’s case against Newmont Mining Corporation, should be heard in Peru - not Delaware, where the company incorporated almost 100 years ago. The court made this decision despite voicing concerns about...<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/05/04/peruvian-farmers-appeal-fight-hold-newmont-accountable-us-court" class="read-more" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Read more</a></font></td></tr><tr style="box-sizing: inherit;"><td class="views-field views-field-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); min-width: 191px; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0px !important; float: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="node-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-transform: uppercase;">NEWSWIRE ARTICLE</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span class="date-display-single" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Tuesday, April 17, 2018</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/04/17/colorado-communities-file-lawsuit-against-oil-giants-climate-change-costs" class="article-title" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 700;">Colorado Communities File Lawsuit Against Oil Giants for Climate Change Costs</a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Today, the Colorado communities of Boulder County, San Miguel County, and the City of Boulder—with legal support from EarthRights International, Niskanen Center, and other co-counsel— filed a lawsuit against Suncor and ExxonMobil (“Exxon”), two oil companies with significant responsibility for...<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/04/17/colorado-communities-file-lawsuit-against-oil-giants-climate-change-costs" class="read-more" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Read more</a></font></td></tr><tr style="box-sizing: inherit;"><td class="views-field views-field-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); min-width: 191px; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0px !important; float: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="node-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-transform: uppercase;">NEWSWIRE ARTICLE</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span class="date-display-single" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Friday, February 09, 2018</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/02/09/peruvian-subsistence-farmer-asks-court-continue-case-against-us-company-delaware" class="article-title" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 700;">Peruvian Subsistence Farmer Asks Court to Continue Case Against U.S. Company in Delaware</a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />EarthRights International (ERI), with plaintiff Máxima Acuña Atalaya de Chaupe in attendance, argued to a U.S. Federal Court today that it should keep their case against Newmont Mining Corporation (which is incorporated in Delaware) in the United States. For over six years, Newmont has led a...<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/02/09/peruvian-subsistence-farmer-asks-court-continue-case-against-us-company-delaware" class="read-more" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Read more</a></font></td></tr><tr style="box-sizing: inherit;"><td class="views-field views-field-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); min-width: 191px; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0px !important; float: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="node-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-transform: uppercase;">NEWSWIRE ARTICLE</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span class="date-display-single" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Wednesday, February 07, 2018</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/02/07/myanmar-economic-zone-developers-launch-complaint-process-violates-human-rights" class="article-title" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 700;">Myanmar Economic Zone Developers Launch Complaint Process That Violates Human Rights Norms</a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Companies responsible for human rights violations in Myanmar's Thilawa Special Economic Zone have failed their obligations under international business and human rights norms in their newly-launched Thilawa Complaints Management Procedure (TCMP). Thilawa community members have sent the developers...<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/02/07/myanmar-economic-zone-developers-launch-complaint-process-violates-human-rights" class="read-more" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Read more</a></font></td></tr><tr style="box-sizing: inherit;"><td class="views-field views-field-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: top; border-top: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); min-width: 191px; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0px !important; float: none !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="node-type" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-transform: uppercase;">NEWSWIRE ARTICLE</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span class="date-display-single" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Wednesday, March 08, 2017</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2017/03/08/honduran-farmers-sue-world-bank-group-human-rights-violations" class="article-title" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 700;">Honduran Farmers Sue World Bank Group for Human Rights Violations</a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />EarthRights International (ERI) filed a federal lawsuit today on behalf of Honduran farmers charging two World Bank Group members with aiding and abetting gross violations of human rights. The suit arises out of the substantial financial support two World Bank entities, the International Finance...<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2017/03/08/honduran-farmers-sue-world-bank-group-human-rights-violations" class="read-more" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Read more</a></font></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Home / Tag “Ecuador”</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div>Chevron’s Illegal Payments to Witnesses Should Prompt Supreme Court to Reconsider Case</div><div>Chevron’s Illegal Payments to Witnesses Should Prompt Supreme Court to Reconsider Case</div><div>May 5, 2017</div><div>For nearly three decades, Ecuadorian communities have tried to hold Texaco (now Chevron) accountable for the company’s legacy of oil pollution in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The saga has stretched [...]</div><div>Responsible Investment Requires More than a Few Corporate Social Responsibility Programs: Lessons for Chinese Outbound Investors</div><div>Responsible Investment Requires More than a Few Corporate Social Responsibility Programs: Lessons for Chinese Outbound Investors</div><div>May 4, 2017</div><div>I wouldn’t say Chinese investors are not trying to take social responsibility seriously, but they must understand that the meaning of responsible investment is much more than a few corporate [...]</div><div>Locas, brujas y pelagatos en defensa de la Amazonía</div><div>Locas, brujas y pelagatos en defensa de la Amazonía</div><div>July 31, 2015</div><div>A comienzos de julio de 2015, el equipo de abogadas y antropólogas de ERI Perú participó del Encuentro de la Red de Mujeres Defensoras de Derechos Sociales y Medioambientales realizado en Quito. [...]</div><div>Standing with Amazon Watch</div><div>Standing with Amazon Watch</div><div>July 17, 2015</div><div>Yesterday, Kellan Howell at The Washington Times published what can only be described as a hit piece against Amazon Watch, our longtime advocacy partner and sometimes client, for AW’s [...]</div><div>Book Review: Law of the Jungle by Paul Barrett</div><div>Book Review: Law of the Jungle by Paul Barrett</div><div>October 6, 2014</div><div><b>I’ve just finished reading Paul Barrett’s new book, Law of the Jungle: the $19 billion Legal Battle Over Oil in the Rain Forest and the Lawyer Who’d Stop at Nothing to Win. Barrett’s book is </b>[...]</div><div>What’s Next in the Chevron/Ecuador Legal Saga?</div><div>What’s Next in the Chevron/Ecuador Legal Saga?</div><div>September 3, 2014</div><div>“Sludge Match: Inside Chevron’s $9 Billion Legal Battle With Ecuadorian Villagers,” Alexander Zaitchik’s recent article in Rolling Stone, is a fascinating look at the Chevron/Ecuador legal saga [...]</div><div>Una verdad innecesaria: reflexiones sobre lo que nunca se conto en el caso RICO</div><div>Una verdad innecesaria: reflexiones sobre lo que nunca se conto en el caso RICO</div><div>April 15, 2014</div><div>El noviembre pasado, Marissa se tomó un período sabático para trabajar como voluntaria en el caso Chevron v. Donziger, apoyando a los afectados del Ecuador. A continuación presentamos algunas [...]</div><div>The Unnecessary Truth: Reflections on What Wasn’t Told in the Chevron Ecuador RICO Case</div><div>The Unnecessary Truth: Reflections on What Wasn’t Told in the Chevron Ecuador RICO Case</div><div>April 15, 2014</div><div>Last November, Marissa took a leave of absence from ERI to volunteer on the Chevron v. Donziger trial in support of the Ecuadorian defendants.&nbsp; These are her thoughts from the case.&nbsp; Lago Agrio, [...]</div><div>Chevron’s Own Lawyers Jeopardize Fate of Chevron-Ecuador RICO Lawsuit</div><div>Chevron’s Own Lawyers Jeopardize Fate of Chevron-Ecuador RICO Lawsuit</div><div>February 12, 2014</div><div>Chevron probably isn’t too happy with Randy Mastro and the rest of its dream team at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher right now. Gibson Dunn represents Chevron in its “sue the victims” case against a [...]</div><div>Weeks After Trial Ends, Same Judge Allows Chevron Access to Private Email Data of Critics and Activists</div><div>Weeks After Trial Ends, Same Judge Allows Chevron Access to Private Email Data of Critics and Activists</div><div>December 20, 2013</div><div>Last week, Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered Microsoft to turn over the identities of 30 email account holders and nearly a decade of their private usage information to Chevron. Judge Kaplan also denied [...]</div><div>123</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">==</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">drilled</font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-a6671e26-7fff-8bcc-3110-ee233dffbf72"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-variant-numeric="font-variant-numeric" normal="normal" font-variant-east-asian="font-variant-east-asian" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" white-space="white-space" pre-wrap="pre-wrap">Peter Frumhoff, at the Union of Concerned Scientists, has also conducted research in this realm. He's looked at the correlation between climate change and human mortality related to extreme heatwaves. Ironically, the success of the oil companies' social influence campaigns are a real strength to these cases.[00:05:12]</span></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></p>
<span style="" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-variant-numeric="font-variant-numeric" normal="normal" font-variant-east-asian="font-variant-east-asian" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" white-space="white-space" pre-wrap="pre-wrap">Marco Simons with<b> </b></span><span style="" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" font-variant-numeric="font-variant-numeric" normal="normal" font-variant-east-asian="font-variant-east-asian" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" white-space="white-space" pre-wrap="pre-wrap"><b>Earth Rights International</b> is representing a group of cities and counties in Colorado that are suing oil companies to cover the costs of fighting increasingly intense wildfires </span><span style="" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-variant-numeric="font-variant-numeric" normal="normal" font-variant-east-asian="font-variant-east-asian" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" white-space="white-space" pre-wrap="pre-wrap">and other impacts of climate change.Marco Simons:[00:05:23]They did such a good job that the public is more skeptical of climate change now than the oil companies are.[00:05:31]</span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>