Bhopal Gas Disaster: US govt must stop shielding Dow Chemical & Union Carbide

Date: 
May 27, 2016 to June 13, 2016


Photo credit: Humanist Association
 
Greed, carelessness, and callous disregard for human life sum up the causes of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster - Request for Assistance for Bhopal Survivors' Petition

Dear all, 
My name is Adriane Raff Corwin, and I have been a volunteer with the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) for many years. ICJB has hired me temporarily as Online Organizer in the USA in order to get signatures for a White House petition. 
 
You can sign the petition here: https://wh.gov/isOdv 
 
After you sign, you must confirm your signature in an email, otherwise it won’t be counted.
 
As most of you know, the survivors of the 1984 Bhopal disaster have never received justice in the form of proper compensation, and the corporations liable for the disaster - Dow Chemical and Union Carbide - have been absconding from Indian court for decades. In the past 2 years, the Indian government has sent the US Dept. of Justice (DoJ) four court notices to serve to Dow Chemical. The DoJ has ignored three of them and stalled on one.
 
If we are able to gather 100,000 signatures by June 14th, the White House guarantees it will respond to the petition.

The US government is required to serve these notices from India to Dow because of the criminal Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between the two countries. But the US government continues to shield Dow with the same excuses it has used all along - there’s not enough information, the charges aren’t clear enough for the US government to comply with, etc. The CBI has sent the DoJ a long letter answering in detail all the questions of the DoJ. Many months later, the DoJ has yet to respond. Very similar stalling tactics were used to draw out the extradition request from India for Warren Anderson, Union Carbide CEO at the time of the disaster.
The only entity with the power to force Dow to show up to court in India is the US government. ICJB is petitioning the White House to stop shielding Dow Chemical from these court notices, as a first step to getting the US government to act. If we are able to gather 100,000 signatures by June 14th, the White House guarantees it will respond to the petition. Anyone of any nationality can sign, as long as they are 13 years or older and have a valid email address. I am writing to you all to ask that you share this petition with your networks. 
 
The disaster itself is over 31 years old, and it is getting harder and harder to get any form of justice. This fall, Dow Chemical is planning to merge with DuPont, which may make it even more difficult to impel the corporation to come to court in Bhopal. We must act now, before it is too late.Please consider emailing and telling your networks about this petition. With your help, we could collect thousands of signatures. We’ve found social media posts don’t garner nearly as many signatures, so email or personal messages are best.
 
Pasted below is an outreach email that I have been using in the USA, in case it is useful.
 
If you have ideas on how to garner more signatures via yours or other networks, or would like more information, please email me at enairda@riseup.net  
 
You can also WhatsApp me at 001-201-543-1928
 
You can follow ICJB’s social media accounts here:
Thank you for your support -
Sincerely, 
 
Adriane

Greed, carelessness, and a callous disregard for human life - these words sum up the causes of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster.

In 1984, 8,000+ residents of Bhopal, India died within hours of being exposed to a toxic gas that escaped from a nearby poorly maintained chemical factory. Hundreds of thousands who survived exposure remain permanently disabled and are dying severely premature deaths.

Dow Chemical, an American corporation, and its subsidiary the Union Carbide Corporation are legally responsible for the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster. But Dow-Carbide has refused to show up to court and face criminal charges that have been pending in India for 25+ years. Dow-Carbide has gotten away with this because the US government keeps acting as its special protector, guarding it from all accusations and accountability.

You can shine a spotlight on injustice and shame the US government into changing how it deals with corporate criminals. Sign this petition demanding that the US Government uphold international law and stop shielding Dow Chemical from accountability for its crimes in Bhopal, India. (If the link doesn't work, visit https://wh.gov/isOdv to sign.)

Right now the White House and the US Department of Justice are shielding Dow-Carbide from FOUR court notices sent by the Indian Judicial system, which per international treaty must be served to Dow. It’s time we told the US Department of Justice to do its job properly and serve the court notices to Dow. Sign the petition, forward this email to your friends and family, and post about it on your social media accounts.

IMPORTANT NOTE: After you sign the petition, you will quickly receive an email from the White House asking you to confirm your signature. Your signature will only be counted after you confirm it. If you don't receive a confirmation email, make sure to check your spam folder.

Thank you for your support! The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB).

ICJB is a coalition of Bhopal survivors' groups and international supporters. Visit www.bhopal.net to learn more about the Bhopal disaster and its aftermath.