In 2011, Steven helped the affected communities win a historic $9.5 billion class-action lawsuit against Chevron for its egregious environmental and human rights violations. This was the largest environmental judgment won by Indigenous groups in history.

But to this day, Chevron has not paid the first dollar of what it owes even though the case has been affirmed unanimously by the Supreme Courts of both Ecuador and Canada. Instead of complying with the law, Chevron exerted its power over US courts to privately prosecute and detain Donziger on a misdemeanor contempt of court charge. The case was the first ever where a private corporation prosecuted and detained one of its critics. And in this case, Chevron had Donziger detained at home and in prison for almost three years.

This unprecedented corporate-led prosecution has been condemned as illegal by five members of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), three federal judges including two from the US Supreme Court, prominent international trial monitors including former US Ambassador for War Crimes Stephen A. Rapp, 475 legal organizations from around the world, and 68 Nobel Laureates. The entire case represents a stain on the reputation of the United States as a country that respects the rule of law.

Please join us in demanding that President Biden correct this injustice by pardoning Steven and making a clear statement that his administration stands for human rights, environmental justice, and the rule of law.