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| Gas victims protest at a rally demanding social justice and reparations for the victims of the Bhopal gas leak. The site has never been properly cleaned up and it continues to poison the residents of Bhopal (Photo by Giles Clarke/Getty Images). |
The survivors of 1984′s Bhopal gas disaster have won a significant step toward justice.
An Indian court ruled this week that Dow Chemical must explain why
its wholly owned subsidiary, Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), has repeatedly ignored court summons in the ongoing criminal case concerning the Bhopal disaster. Union Carbide is accused of “culpable homicide not amounting to murder” for over 20,000 deaths.
“Today’s court decision is an important step in ensuring corporate accountability for
the devastating consequences of the Bhopal gas leak,” said Audrey
Gaughran, Director of Global Issues at Amnesty International. “Dow
Chemical has always tried to claim it has nothing to do with UCC’s
liability for Bhopal, but the court has today made it clear that Dow
Chemical itself has a responsibility to ensure that UCC faces the
outstanding charges against it. Dow Chemical can no longer turn its back
on the tens of thousands still suffering in Bhopal.”
Almost three decades after the Bhopal disaster, victims and their
families have yet to receive adequate compensation from Union Carbide or
the Indian government.
“The summoning of Dow Chemical is potentially a giant step towards
establishing the criminal liability of Union Carbide Corporation for one
of the worst corporate disasters in world history,” said Satinath Sarangi, a member of Bhopal Group for Information and Action.
Dow Chemical, a controversial sponsor of last summer’s London
Olympics, has failed to ensure that Union Carbide appear before Indian
courts. The U.S. chemical giant has consistently denied any
responsibility for the on-going negative environmental and human rights
repercussions of the gas disaster. After a recent ruling in US courts unfavorable to Bhopal’s survivors,
this week’s ruling in India represents a shift towards justice for the
people of Bhopal and a step towards meaningful corporate accountability
for the world’s worst industrial disaster.
As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The arc of the moral universe is
long, but it bends towards justice.” Perhaps this ruling will help
Bhopal’s survivors finally win the justice they deserve.
For more Amnesty International news and actions focused on corporate accountability, sign up for our monthly email actions, join our Corporate Action Network Facebook page or follow us on Twitter at @aiusacorpaction.
James Mutti, India Country Specialist for Amnesty International USA, largely researched and contributed to this article.
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