In the final days of President Joe Biden’s term, Steven Donziger hopes Biden will pardon him — as do dozens of progressive members of Congress and human rights and environmental activists around the world.
Donziger’s story is unique. "I'm the only person in this country who has been criminally prosecuted by a private company," Donziger told us rolling stones.
As a lawyer, he helped deliver a historic verdict against oil giant Chevron on behalf of 30,000 Ecuadorians after Texaco (acquired by Chevron) severely polluted the Amazon rainforest. Ecuador's Supreme Court upheld the verdict and ordered Chevron to pay $9.5 billion. Chevron never paid a penny and instead filed a racketeering lawsuit against Donziger in the United States, claiming the Ecuadorian case was fraudulent.
"Chevron's attempt to silence me is really an attack on these communities," Donziger said, adding that the Ecuadorian communities he represents have been devastated by "possibly the worst oil disaster in the world." destroy".
Chevron demanded possession of Donziger's electronic devices after the judge ruled against him, but he refused, citing attorney-client privilege. The judge decided to hold Donziger in contempt of court and then in criminal contempt. When Donald Trump's Justice Department declined to prosecute the case, a judge appointed a corporate law firm (which had recently represented Chevron) to prosecute Donziger and picked a judge to hear the case.
Donziger was ultimately placed under house arrest for 993 days and jailed for 45 days. He lost his law license. Now, he says, he's broke because the first judge ordered him to pay Chevron's massive legal fees.
The human rights lawyer has previously urged the Supreme Court to review his prosecution. While the high court declined to hear his case, Justice Neil Gorsuch (joined by Justice Brett Kavanaugh) issued a strong dissent, declaring that “the prosecutors in this case violated the law fundamental to our freedoms” fundamental constitutional commitments” because judges have no power “to prosecute those who came before them.”
"Our Constitution does not condone what happened here," Gorsuch added.
Now, Donziger is asking Biden for a pardon. “I want to be free of the burden of this belief so that I can once again practice my profession and advocate for human rights around the world,” he said, “including on behalf of Amazonian communities in Ecuador.”
Currently, Donziger is unable to leave the country. "It means I can't see my clients," he said. "I need my law license back." He added that Chevron "took all my money. I really have no money. I'm living off the defense fund. Getting a pardon would make it easier to fix all of these problems." Much more.”
Additionally, he hopes Biden will view his case as "an opportunity to send a clear message to our community that private company prosecutions will never happen again in this country."
Donziger has many high-profile advocates. Last month, 34 lawmakers — including Sen. Bernie Sanders (R-Vt.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Raskin (D-Md.), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and former Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) — —Write to Biden requesting pardon for Donziger. They criticized the judge's "shocking and unusual decision to appoint a corporate law firm to prosecute Mr. Donziger on behalf of the U.S. government," noting that the firm "recently represented Chevron as a client."
Lawmakers noted that Donziger "is the only attorney in American history to be detained for a period of time on a misdemeanor contempt charge," and said that pardoning him would "send a powerful message to the world that is worth dozens of dollars." Billion-dollar corporations cannot act with impunity against lawyers and their clients who defend the public interest.”
Nearly 200 human rights and environmental advocacy groups had previously urged Biden to pardon Donziger.
On Monday, Robert F. Kennedy's daughter, human rights activist Kerry Kennedy, wrote a letter to Biden noting that Donziger "was dismissed from a private law firm that counted Chevron as a client after the Justice Department dismissed the charges." prosecuted".
“It is now time to right this wrong and align our government with the international human rights community to protect Steven,” she wrote. She added: “Not addressing this important issue would send a complete message to the human rights community. Wrong information. "It's obviously very concerned about preserving the rule of law. I believe that inaction is inconsistent with our values as a country. "