Postum pardon of Ken saro-wiwa in nigeria
In November 1995, nine environmental activists were hanged by the military junta in Nigeria who had mistakenly sentenced them to death for the murder of four local leaders. Witnesses told afterwards how they had been mutated and promised jobs on the oil giant Shell to give their statements.
The activists became known as « Ogoni Nine ». The most profiled of them was the author Ken Saro-Wiwa who for several years had tried to get the oil companies to take responsibility for the environmental destruction and human rights abuse in the niger delta.
The event brought a globally frame scream And Nigeria was thrown out of the British Commonwealth. Only after the dictator Sani Abach’s death, which also became the start of the country’s democratization, was Nigeria re -entering the Commonwealth.
In addition, the event directed the light at Shell and its activities. Extensive protests broke out around the company’s offices and environmental and human rights organizations called for general boycotts of the company’s products.
Shell has denied involvement but after relatives sued the company in an American court, they admitted that more could be made in the case and reached a settlement worth SEK 150 million for the relatives in 2009.
Soon 30 years after the execution has Nigerias Current President Bola Tinubu gave the nine men national honor and at the same time pardoned them posthumously. They get the orders because the president wants to « admit the permanent imprint of their sacrifices », writes tinubu on the platform x.
The initiative is welcomed by the relatives but they turns to the term « pardon » which suggests that « ogoni nine » has been guilty.
Noo Saro-Wiwa is a writer And the daughter of Ken Saro-Wiwa. In a statement she expresses the family’s gratitude for Tinubu « done right ».
– We want to believe that the honors symbolizes the innocence of these heroes and reinforces the global view that the punishment they were given 30 years ago was wrong and that their execution was a legally sanctioned murder.
She continues:
– But we want to continue to see an investigation of the legal tours that led to the wrong verdict, which created such a colossal loss for our family. Such an investigation would lead to a complete acquittal of our heroes.
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