U.S. company found liable of financing Colombian paramilitary death squad to advance its interests
https://lemmy.world/post/16429293
U.S. company found liable of financing Colombian paramilitary death squad to advance its interests - Lemmy.World
A U.S. jury in Miami has ruled that Chiquita Brands International is liable for
financing the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a paramilitary death
squad designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. during Colombia’s civil
war. This decision comes after 17 years of legal proceedings and a previous
conviction in 2007 when Chiquita was fined $25 million for illegal payments to
the AUC. The recent verdict marks the first time an American jury has held a
major U.S. corporation accountable for complicity in human rights abuses in
another country, newsletter Pirate Wire Services explained. Plaintiffs
represented by Earth Rights International, an NGO advocating for corporate
responsibility, have long sought justice through courts in both Colombia and the
United States regarding this issue. The jury in Miami recommended a civil fine
of $2 million for each family member filing suit, following two “bellwether
cases” selected from over a hundred filed by victims. Court documents reveal
that Chiquita paid 3 cents per dollar for each box of bananas exported from
Colombia to the AUC, an organization responsible for thousands of civilian
deaths, including the eradication of entire villages, the murders of trade union
representatives and rivals, and the kidnapping of politicians. Victims and their
families had lobbied for years to sue Chiquita in civil courts, efforts that the
company delayed through various legal tactics. In addition to the payments,
victims and ex-AUC commanders claim that Chiquita provided weapons and gasoline
to the paramilitary forces in the Urabá region of Colombia. They argue that
Chiquita executives knew these resources were being used to kill civilians and
suppress unions near their operations. Chiquita has denied these accusations,
maintaining that the payments were extortion made under duress, an argument
previously rejected by U.S. courts. Chiquita attempted to move all civil cases
to Colombian courts, but its motion was denied, and the cases proceeded in the
U.S. In 2018, Colombia’s Prosecutor’s Office formally accused Chiquita
executives of aggravated conspiracy to commit a crime and attempting to hide
these payments as “security payments.” The investigation was suspended in 2019
but may resume under Colombia’s new lead prosecutor, Luz Adriana Camargo Garzón,
who has expressed interest in the case. The Colombian Peace Court has
characterized Chiquita’s actions, including labor union repression, as “crimes
against humanity.”
This article makes it clearer.
U.S. company found liable of financing Colombian paramilitary death squad to advance its interests
https://lemmy.world/post/16429241
U.S. company found liable of financing Colombian paramilitary death squad to advance its interests - Lemmy.World
A U.S. jury in Miami has ruled that Chiquita Brands International is liable for
financing the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a paramilitary death
squad designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. during Colombia’s civil
war. This decision comes after 17 years of legal proceedings and a previous
conviction in 2007 when Chiquita was fined $25 million for illegal payments to
the AUC. The recent verdict marks the first time an American jury has held a
major U.S. corporation accountable for complicity in human rights abuses in
another country, newsletter Pirate Wire Services explained. Plaintiffs
represented by Earth Rights International, an NGO advocating for corporate
responsibility, have long sought justice through courts in both Colombia and the
United States regarding this issue. The jury in Miami recommended a civil fine
of $2 million for each family member filing suit, following two “bellwether
cases” selected from over a hundred filed by victims. Court documents reveal
that Chiquita paid 3 cents per dollar for each box of bananas exported from
Colombia to the AUC, an organization responsible for thousands of civilian
deaths, including the eradication of entire villages, the murders of trade union
representatives and rivals, and the kidnapping of politicians. Victims and their
families had lobbied for years to sue Chiquita in civil courts, efforts that the
company delayed through various legal tactics. In addition to the payments,
victims and ex-AUC commanders claim that Chiquita provided weapons and gasoline
to the paramilitary forces in the Urabá region of Colombia. They argue that
Chiquita executives knew these resources were being used to kill civilians and
suppress unions near their operations. Chiquita has denied these accusations,
maintaining that the payments were extortion made under duress, an argument
previously rejected by U.S. courts. Chiquita attempted to move all civil cases
to Colombian courts, but its motion was denied, and the cases proceeded in the
U.S. In 2018, Colombia’s Prosecutor’s Office formally accused Chiquita
executives of aggravated conspiracy to commit a crime and attempting to hide
these payments as “security payments.” The investigation was suspended in 2019
but may resume under Colombia’s new lead prosecutor, Luz Adriana Camargo Garzón,
who has expressed interest in the case. The Colombian Peace Court has
characterized Chiquita’s actions, including labor union repression, as “crimes
against humanity.” The central issue in the U.S. civil court case was whether
Chiquita’s payments to the AUC materially assisted the group in its illegal
actions.
