Accusations of ExxonMobil human rights violations in Aceh
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Human rights violations in Aceh, Indonesia occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s when ExxonMobil hired Indonesian military units to guard their Arun gas field, and these military units raided and razed local villages.[1][2] Government inquiries have extensively documented these abuses.[2]:ā1ā Victims allege that ExxonMobil knew about the atrocities, which include assault, torture, and murder, and should be liable for them.[2] The company denies these accusations; its primary defense is that the human rights violations which were occurring were not a result of specific intention of the organization and therefore it cannot be held liable.[3]
In 2001, Eleven Indonesian villagers affected by this violence filed the lawsuit John Doe v. Exxon Mobil Corp. in the US. Exxon attempted to have the case dismissed nine times, dragging the lawsuit out for over 20 years.[4] In July 2022, a US District Court denied ExxonMobil's motions to dismiss the case, clearing the way for the lawsuit to go to trial, although no trial date was set.[5]
In 2015, ExxonMobil sold its Aceh operations to Pertamina.[6]