On Wednesday the Dutch court in their ruling dismissed four out of the five allegations in the case of the four Niger Delta farmers against Shell in The Hague, The Netherlands.
I was at the court as I have always been in the court during the trial period. It was a verdict that lasted less than 30 minutes.
Media:
It was a media frenzy with all of the local, national and international press fully represented. The court room was full of cameras.
My Reaction:
I find the case itself a big victory for our campaign to raise international awareness to the plight of the ordinary Niger Delta people. The fact that the Dutch court in their first ruling on jurisdiction accepted that they have the legal right and competence to handle the case meant the attention of the world will be drawn to the Niger Delta.
