DC Circuit reinstates human rights case against Exxon Mobil

The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in the United States ruled on Friday that a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil alleging human rights abuses in Aceh can go forward.

Fifteen Indonesian citizens sued Exxon Mobil Corporation for abuses allegedly committed by soldiers while protecting Exxon Mobil?s facilities in 2000-2001, including murder, torture and sexual assault.

Plaintiffs allege that these security personnel physically abused and killed their family members who lived or worked in villages within Exxon's sprawling operations in rural Aceh.

Company spokesman Patrick McGinn said as quoted by AP that the ruling was being reviewed, and that the Irving, Texas-based firm has "fought these baseless claims for many years."

The litigation is more than a decade old. The company had contracted with the Indonesian government to explore, extract, and process the gas. It hired military personnel as private security for the remote location, according to AP.

A key sticking point in the legal fight was the level of control Exxon Mobil officials in Aceh had over the actions of the Indonesian military. The plaintiffs alleged company officials in Indonesia were aware the military had committed past human rights violations. And they claim Exxon Mobil offered "material support" by separately hiring private mercenaries who provided "advice, training, intelligence, and equipment" to the dedicated military unit, which in turn committed brutal repression of locals, according to the lawsuit.(*)