Chevron’s Ecuador Smear Ads
It comes as no surprise that Chevron’s actions in Ecuador, would once again be illegal if they were done in the US. It didn’t stop Texaco (now owned by Chevron) from dumping toxic waste into the jungle and tributaries of the Amazon river, allegedly 18 billion gallons of it, which was against the law in the US at the time. It also didn’t stop Chevron’s spokesman, James Craig from placing large advertisements in El Comercio, a leading Ecuadorian newspaper. The ads called the trial court a “fraud” and attacked the judge, court appointed scientific experts, and lawyers for the plaintiffs. The same actions, to place ads intended to sway the outcome of a court case or intimidate court personnel, is illegal in the US. But since when did Chevron Texaco worry about following the laws of their home country while operating overseas? Ask the Ecuadorians, or perhaps the Nigerians and they’ll have an answer pretty quickly. To read the Amazon Defense Coalition press release on this matter, please click here.
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