The World Briefly
May 17, 2023No Fault Here
Indonesia
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Energy giant ExxonMobil settled a decades-long lawsuit filed by villagers in the western Indonesian province of Aceh, who alleged that soldiers the company had hired to guard a natural gas facility in the area committed torture, murder, and other human rights abuses, Al Jazeera reported Tuesday.
Between 1999 and 2003, ExxonMobil contracted Indonesian soldiers to guard the oil and gas plant in the city of Lhoksukon.
In 2001, 11 villagers filed a suit against the company alleging that the hired troops committed a series of crimes against locals, including murder, sexual assault, and torture.
At the time, the Indonesian army had deployed thousands of troops in Aceh to quell a long-running rebellion by pro-independence fighters.
ExxonMobil had denied any knowledge of human rights violations. The firm countered that it could not be held accountable for any abuses because it did not order or authorize them.
The parties were set to go on trial in Washington DC next week. But both sides released a joint statement Monday, saying they have agreed to resolve “all matters.”
Agnieszka Fryszman, a lawyer for the villagers, said the terms were confidential but added that the plaintiffs “were able to secure a measure of justice for them and their families.”
A representative from the oil and gas giant also said that ExxonMobil “condemns human rights violations in any form, those include the actions asserted in this case against the Indonesian military.”
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