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Wiwa v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.
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Wiwa v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.

law case
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Wiwa v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. was a lawsuit filed under the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) by Nigerian émigrés in the United States. They sued two foreign holding companies, alleging their complicity in human rights abuses against the Ogoni people by Nigerian government forces. The case also included claims of coercive land appropriation and environmental pollution.1

Ken Saro-Wiwa, a Nigerian writer and activist, led the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People. He spoke out against Royal Dutch/Shell for environmental damage to the Ogoni lands and demanded a greater share of oil profits. Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists were executed in 1995, leading to international condemnation. In 2009, Shell paid $15.5 million in an out-of-court settlement to resolve the lawsuit brought on behalf of Saro-Wiwa's family and others, though Shell denied wrongdoing.21

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. Alien Tort Claims Act
  2. Ken Saro-Wiwa

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