INTRODUCTION BY JOHN DONOVAN This video forms part of evidence quoted in a Dutch writ served on several companies within the Royal Dutch Shell Group on 28 June 2017 on behalf of four widows of the Ogoni Nine, including Esther Kiobel. The videos include extensive film footage of the ‘Ogoni Nine’ trial held in Nigeria in 1995 known as the Ogoni Civil Disturbances Tribunal. There is also video footage of the subsequent Oputa Panel Proceedings (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oputa_panel). Since many of the almost 20 video recordings, some of more than three hours long, are over two decades old, the picture and sound quality is poor and the copyright owner unknown to me. Some are not as long as the time length indicated. EXTRACTS FROM THE ESTHER KIOBEL JUNE 2017 WRIT From page 21 As part of “Operation Restore Order in Ogoniland”, 15 Ogoni leaders were arrested in the months following May 1994, including Barinem Kiobel, Baribor Bera, Nordu Eawo and Paul Levula. The arrests followed the murder of four traditional Ogoni leaders at a meeting in Giokoo, a village in Ogoniland. From the outset the regime was clear that it suspected these men of involvement in the murders. More than 18 months later, on 10 November 1995, nine of the fifteen who were arrested, Barinem Kiobel, Ken Saro- Wiwa, Baribor Bera, John Kpuinen, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levula and Felix Nuate, were executed following a trial that came to be known as the Ogoni 9 trial. In the absence of any evidence against the suspects and because of the clearly corrupt nature of the judicial process the international community condemned the executions as judicial murder. It soon became clear that multiple human rights had been violated during the trial and the executions that followed it. From pages 80/81 As was explained in chapter 4, the Ogoni 9 trial, which commenced 6 February 1995, was a carefully prepared show trial. The 15 suspects had, when the trial started, already been held in custody for more than eight months without official charge, although it was clear that they had been apprehended on suspicion of involvement in the murder of the four traditional Ogoni leaders on 21 May 1994. Ken Saro-Wiwa, Barinem Kiobel and Baribor Bera did not hear the official charge until 28 January 1995, while Nordu Eawo and Paul Levula received the indictment on 28 February 1995. In this period the hearings of the specially set up Ogoni Civil Disturbances Special Tribunal also started. Footage of these hearings is submitted as exhibit 247. Fragments from them can also be seen in the revealing documentary “In-Remembrance Ken Saro-Wiwa” (exhibit 252).384 The trial would last until 31 October 1995 and end with the death penalty being carried out on nine of the fifteen suspects, who were executed on 10 November 1995. The serious human rights violations to which the suspects were exposed during the trial and that ultimately led to the executions are described in chapter 4. Because it soon became clear that the suspects would not receive a fair trial and were in fact political prisoners because of their opposition to Shell, all eyes were on the company. Shell falsely claimed to be following an apolitical course whilst exerting its influence through quiet diplomacy. In reality, it was very much involved with the course of the events during the trial, and in the meantime fully dedicating itself to its negotiations with the regime regarding the NLNG project which would be settled at the same time. At no time whatsoever did Shell reveal any dissatisfaction with the course of events, not even when it sent a tepid letter to Abacha just before the execution of the Ogoni 9 with a request for a pardon, for which it had apologised to the regime in advance.385 While Nigeria had by then been internationally degenerated into a pariah state, Shell continued to collaborate with the regime just as intensively. EXTRACTS END FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE ESTHER KIOBEL WRIT The extracts are from an English translation of a 138 page Writ of Summons served on Royal Dutch Shell companies on 28 June 2017 by Dutch Human Rights law firm Prakken d’Oliveira. They represent four widows including Esther Kiobel who hold Shell liable for the murder of their husbands individual Ogoni leaders now known collectively as the ‘Ogoni Nine‘. MOSOP Chairman Ken Saro-Wiwa was one of the group. Disclosure: The lead claimant Esther Kiobel, Channa Samkalden of the Dutch human rights law firm Prakken d’Oliveira representing the widows, and the acclaimed human rights organisation Amnesty International, have all acknowledged the involvement of John Donovan in bringing the June 2017 case. See Amnesty International Campaign: ONE WOMAN VS SHELL (https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2017/06/one-nigerian-widow-vs-shell/ John Donovan Website: http://royaldutchshellplc.com

• published: 23 Jul 2017
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