USA: Environmental lawyer must be pardoned

Steven Donziger, a lawyer and environmental rights defender who successfully represented victims of oil dumping in Ecuador by oil company Chevron, was later sued by Chevron in the USA. He refused to comply with a court order to hand over his electronic devices to Chevron, arguing that such a disclosure could violate attorney-client confidentiality and put his clients at risk. He was convicted of contempt of court and arbitrarily detained for almost three years under house arrest and several months in prison. Before leaving office on 20 January, President Biden should pardon Mr. Donziger and protect environmental defenders from corporate retaliation.

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