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Nigeria: Widows sue Shell for complicity in activist deaths
AP | The widows of 4 Nigerian activists have opened a civil court case against oil company Shell, alleging it was complicit in the deaths of their husbands more than 2 decades ago.
Esther Kiobel, Victoria Bera, Blessing Eawo and Charity Levula are seeking an apology and compensation in the case that opened Tuesday in The Hague, in the Netherlands.
Their husbands were among nine activists from the Ogoni ethnic group, led by writer Ken Saro-Wiwa, who were hanged in 1995 for the murder of 4 political rivals. Supporters say they were targeted because of their involvement in protests against environmental damage by Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary.
In a written statement, Shell’s Nigerian arm, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, denied responsibility. The company says it did “had no role in the arrest, trial and execution of these men.”