International

It's scandalous that human rights continue to be less valued than are the interests of major multinational corporations such as Shell. We all know that human rights are violated continually. In the Netherlands the lives of many people in the northern city and region of Groningen have been destroyed by the likes of Shell and other major corporations such as NAM. The Dutch government is refusing to reduce the level of gas extraction.

Abroad, Shell has en even motlier record. In Nigeria the life of the Ogoni community has been ruined by oil leaks and serious pollution. The 1990s saw an uprising by the Ogoni which was put down in a bloody fashion by Nigerian paramilitaries. People were murdered, raped and tortured because Shell and its profits had to be defended. .

And as the report from Amnesty International, 'A Criminal Enterprise?' reveals, Shell was all the time wheeling and dealing with the regime in full knowledge of these serious human rights abuses. That to this day this has not been subject to judicial investigation and that the victims have received no compensation says a great deal about Shell's power. It's time we broke this power. The public prosecutor must investigate the involvement of Shell and the government must force multinationals to respect human rights – full stop!

by Sadet Karabalut