Solidarity with Steven Donziger
By Alexander0154 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
After years of house arrest and later imprisonment at the behest of corporate power, environmental and human rights attorney Steven Donziger was recently released from Danbury federal prison in Connecticut.
It looked as though the worst was over, and that what remained was just a few months of house arrest to finish up his sentence. That changed drastically last week. While information is still limited, it appears that Donziger has once again drawn the ire of Chevron and a corrupt legal system. According to his attorney Ronald L. Kuby, Donziger was abruptly ordered into a halfway house with no further explanation than that he was “under investigation.”
Unprecedented Abuses from the Start
We have previously written about Donziger’s story and the harrowing reality it represents. In short, after Donziger helped an indigenous population of Ecuadorans win a $9 billion judgment against Chevron for polluting local water sources, Chevron proceeded to pursue Donziger himself to the ends of the earth rather than pay for the damages. To this day, they have yet to pay a single cent of the judgment.
Instead, Chevron chose to make an example of Donziger and try to upend his life. They were able to make things pretty miserable for him - using their influence with big law (where they’re a top spender) to eventually place him under house arrest. Donziger was under house arrest for over 800 days on a contempt charge - an unprecedented and haunting move. After staying in the limbo of house arrest for so long, last fall Donziger was ultimately sentenced to 6 months of prison.
Show Your Solidarity
Chevron is trying to break Steven’s spirit. They want to create a chilling effect on any future efforts to hold fossil fuel giants accountable. Chevron assumes it is above the law and can simply bully its way to whatever outcome its bottom line dictates. They haven’t succeeded so far, and we can’t let them.
Fortunately, in the process Chevron has mobilized many citizens against their abuses. Here’s hoping that the environmental movement can build on this and push back even harder against Orwellian overreaches like it.
We urge you to support Steven’s freedom - and justice for those he has represented. Remember, Chevron still hasn’t paid any of the $9.5 billion of damages that it owes to indigenous Ecuadorans. If Chevron can get away with railroading Steven, what will stop them from defaulting on those billions? Here’s to solidarity with Steven Donziger, indigenous rights, and everyone who has joined in this fight.
More information on how to support the cause is available on their website and social channels.
Update: Fortunately, Donziger was released from the halfway house on 2/15. Check out his video statement for more details. We doubt this ends here, but are glad to see this positive development.
