By Fungai Maboreke

Special to the NNPA from the Global Information Network

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a case that tests the right of U.S. courts to try corporations for human rights violations committed anywhere in the world.

The case involves a lawsuit brought by families of 12 men from Ogoniland, Nigeria’s rich oil delta, who were allegedly tortured and executed by the Nigerian government with material support from Royal Dutch Shell. The men, including playwriter and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, had been organizing against polluting oil exploration in the Ogoni region. The case had been dismissed by a lower U.S. court.

Most federal appeals courts agree that companies can be sued under the 222-year-old Alien Tort Statute, just like individuals. In a recent case involving allegations of child labor abuse by Firestone Natural Rubber Co., a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corp., in its Liberia operation, a Chicago-based federal appeals court ruled that corporations can be liable under the Alien Tort Statute.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Shell case early next year, with a decision expected by the end of June. Even if the high court rules against Shell on the question of corporate liability, the company still may prevail in the underlying case.