Ecuador's Indigenous and Campesinos: Chevron 'Buying Impunity'

In Ecuador, Indigenous and environmentalist organizations as well as the Union of the Affected by Texaco’s Oil Operations held a press conference Tuesday to denounce alleged pressures on the Constitutional Court by Chevron-Texaco and the Ecuadorean government.

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Fears of a possible attempt by government officials and the oil company to negotiate a resolution of the 25-year-long judicial battle disregarding the will of those affected and the rulings of Ecuador’s provincial and national courts were stoked up after the Union got an anonymous phone call warning them that Chevron had decided to bribe the justices reviewing the case.

Those involved were already concerned after the Constitutional Court refused to publish its resolution on the case.     

On June 27, the same day United States Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Ecuador, the Constitutional Court resolved Chevron’s request to reverse the 2013 ruling sentencing the transnational company to pay US$9.5 billion for environmental damage in the Amazon.

The Court, however, did not publish its ruling. “As long as they do not publish the ruling everything can happen,” Pablo Fajardo of the legal team warned.

During Pence and Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno’s joint press conference, last Thursday, Moreno vowed to “eliminate any impediment” for the future negotiation of a trade agreement.

In February, the U.S. ambassador in Ecuador Todd Chapman said there were 10 “irritating issues” with Ecuador that needed to be solved, among them “trials that involve U.S. companies.” Before his comments, in September 2017, Ecuador’s minister for commerce Pablo Campana said in an interview with Reuters “it is the moment to sit, dialogue, and clean what must be cleaned and try to solve this problem, which would be best for Ecuador, Chevron and the U.S.”

“Let’s remember the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA). In 2004 the Chevron case was crucial to the negotiations,” Fajardo affirmed.

All the organizations involved, including the National Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie), rejected any intention to negotiate.

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Luis Angel Saavedra of human rights organization INREDH explained “the struggle is in the space of civil society, not of the government. Only the Indigenous and Campesino organizations have the legitimacy to negotiate and they have said they will not do it.”

Over 30,000 Indigenous people and Campesinos who inhabit the northern province of Sucumbios have maintained a judicial battle against Chevron-Texaco seeking accountability and reparations. “A recent study by Accion Ecologica (Ecological Action) showed that in the areas affected (by Chevron’s pollution) the rate of cancer is three times greater than the national average,” Alexandra Almeida of the environmental organization said.

During the previous government of President Rafael Correa, Ecuador’s foreign ministry launched the campaign “The Dirty Hand of Chevron,” to raise international awareness on the 1,000 pools of toxic waste which impacted the health and livlihoods of at least 30,000 people.

These efforts have not been supported by Moreno’s government.   

“We want to warn the Constitutional Court and the president that we are vigilant, we are united with all the Indigenous organizations… with social organizations. We are not alone,” Willian Lucitante coordinator of the Union of affected said.  

The court should publish its ruling on Thursday. Those affected and social organization that stand in solidarity asked the national and international community to “remain vigilant.”