TotalEnergies CEO addresses East Africa abuse allegations
TotalEnergies head Patrick Pouyanne said their values make them better suited for projects like the Uganda one. (EPA Images pic)
PARIS : TotalEnergies chief executive Patrick Pouyanne defended the company's work on oil projects in East Africa on Friday, after an independent UN human rights expert said the French firm should urgently address fresh allegations of abuses.
In a statement released late on Thursday, special rapporteur on environmental defenders Michel Forst said the company must take immediate action to protect activists linked to the East African crude oil pipeline and connected oilfields.
That followed a decision by German asset manager Union Investment to drop TotalEnergies' bonds and shares from its sustainable investment funds over the issue.
Pouyanne addressed criticism of the East African projects related to their alleged environmental and human rights impacts during the company's annual shareholders meeting.
'We develop these projects with the values and principles that are ours, we are convinced of the good they do for the countries and the local populations,' he said.
He added that projects like the one in Uganda are better done by TotalEnergies rather than others, who may care less about human rights and the environment.
Union Investment said it took its decision after reviewing a fresh report from non-profit Just Finance International, citing alleged abuses at the Kingfisher oil site in Uganda, part of the pipeline project.
Forst said TotalEnergies had failed to take effective steps to address abuses against activists, adding it was 'deeply troubling' that 'it has instead consistently rejected the allegations as mere 'misconceptions' of the projects' impact'.
As a French company, Forst said TotalEnergies was bound by the Aarhus Convention – an agreement protecting public rights to participation in environmental matters – to ensure individuals were not penalised or harassed for their opposition to the projects.
Earlier, the company released a statement saying it 'does not tolerate any threats or violence against those who peacefully defend and promote human rights' and reminds those it works with of its position on the subject.
The company added that it worked with Ugandan authorities 'to stress to the police the need to ensure that due process is followed, the protesters are treated well, and their rights are respected while in detention'.
The security team of its local unit also monitors the wellbeing of anyone arrested and ensures their representatives are able to visit them, it said.
Forst backed a call by Union Investment for an independent investigation into the alleged abuses. As well as making the results public and acting on any shortcomings, he also asked TotalEnergies to use its leverage to prevent any further attacks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
13 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Appeals court to decide Aug 19 on activist's challenge to online speech law under Communications and Multimedia Act 1998
PUTRAJAYA, June 11 — The Court of Appeal has fixed August 19 to deliver its decision in an appeal brought by an activist over the dismissal of her lawsuit that had challenged the validity of parts of a provision in the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 that criminalises offensive online comments. A three-man bench consisting of Federal Court judge Datuk Lee Swee Seng and Court of Appeal judges Datuk Hashim Hamzah and Datuk Azman Abdullah set the decision date after parties completed their submissions earlier today. Heidy Quah Gaik Li, the founder of Refuge for Refugees is claiming the use of the words 'offensive' and annoy' in Section 233 of the Act are invalid as it goes against two fundamental human rights protected by the Federal Constitution. Section 233(1)(a) states that it is an offence for a person to make, create or solicit, and initiate the transmission of any online comment which is 'obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive' with 'intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person. In September 2023, the Shah Alam High Court dismissed Quah's lawsuit, leading her to file an appeal in the Court of Appeal. The hearing today was a continuation of proceedings that had begun earlier. Justice Lee was serving as a Court of Appeal judge before being elevated to the Federal Court in May this year. During today's hearing, senior federal counsel Liew Horng Bin representing the Malaysian government submitted that speech involving expletives, profanity, crude references, hate speech or incitement to violence are not expressions protected under Article 10 (1) (a) of the Federal Constitution. He argued that the right to free speech should be used to disseminate truth, respect for human dignity and perform essential informing function. On the other hand, lawyer Datuk Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, representing Quah argued the words 'offensive' or annoy contained in Section 233 is inconsistent with Article 10 and Article 8 of the Federal Constitution, namely the right to equality and freedom of speech. He argued that the two words in Section 233 are not a 'permissible restriction' under public order as prescribed in the Federal Constitution. In July 2021, Quah, 31, was charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court for allegedly making 'offensive' online comments in a Facebook post. In April the following year, the Sessions Court granted her a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) due to the charge under section 233(1)(a) being defective. — Bernama
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Salvadoran lawyer arrested on money laundering charges
Enrique Anaya was arrested at his home in the city of Santa Tecla. (Attorney-general's office of El Salvador/AFP pic) SAN SALVADOR : A Salvadoran lawyer and fierce critic of president Nayib Bukele was arrested today on charges of money laundering, the prosecutor's office said, a move branded by human rights organisations as an offensive to silence those who question the government. Bukele's hardline approach to El Salvador's powerful gangs has made him one of the world's most domestically popular leaders, even as human rights defenders raise alarm over arbitrary arrests and eroding civil liberties. Enrique Anaya, a constitutional lawyer, who has called Nayib a 'dictator' and criticised his re-election, was arrested at his home in the city of Santa Tecla. Images of Anaya handcuffed alongside police officers were shared on social media by the attorney-general's office, which stated that he will be referred to the courts in the coming days for 'money and asset laundering'. It comes after the detention this year of fellow lawyer Ruth Lopez, head of an anti-corruption unit of human rights NGO Cristosal, who was accused of embezzling state funds when she worked for an electoral court a decade ago. El Salvador's constitution does not allow successive presidential terms, but a Bukele-stacked Supreme Court allowed him to run, and he was re-elected in February 2024. 'Of course I'm afraid' Bukele, who won 85% of the votes thanks to his war against gangs, accuses his critics of leftist political activism and last week warned that 'corrupt opposition members' are not untouchable. 'I don't care if they call me a dictator. I'd rather be called a dictator than see Salvadorans killed in the streets,' he said in a speech today. Anaya responded on a television programme Tuesday that Bukele had removed 'the mask', adding 'he is what he is'. 'Here, whoever speaks, whoever criticizes, whoever does not kneel before the idol, gets imprisoned. Of course, I am afraid,' Anaya said. He said in his last X post on Friday that 'the Bukelean dictatorship is increasingly questioned and confronted internationally,' referencing criticism from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) regarding the arrest of Lopez's and other activists. Lopez has criticised Bukele's anti-crime policy, which has seen thousands of alleged gangsters arrested and jailed in harsh conditions. Her NGO Cristosal helps families of Salvadorans caught up in Bukele's crackdown on gangs, as well as more than 250 Venezuelans deported by the Trump administration, which paid El Salvador to imprison them. 'It's part of what we're living through. Unfortunately, Enrique's situation is similar to Ruth's case,' said Anaya's defence attorney, Jaime Quintanilla. 'Troubling escalation' In a statement, Cristosal described Anaya as a 'key figure in defending democratic institutions and constitutional order'. 'His arrest is part of a troubling escalation of criminalisation against those who defend the rule of law in El Salvador,' he added. An environmental lawyer and an evangelical pastor supporting a farmers' protest were arrested in May, and in February Fidel Zavala, a human rights activist, was accused of ties to gangs. Last month, Bukele's allies in the Legislative Assembly imposed a Foreign Agents Law levying a 30% tax on organisations receiving overseas funding and requiring them to join a special registry. The European Union said yesterday that the law 'could restrict society' and lamented the arrests, which Bukele responded to on X, calling it an 'aged bloc' of bureaucrats who insist 'on preaching to the rest of the world'. Bukele accuses NGOs of defending criminals and has accused the media of joining an 'organised attack' spearheaded by international groups. Anaya has stated on several occasions in interviews that Bukele's legacy will be one of 'human rights violations' and 'destruction of democracy'.
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Malay Mail
TotalEnergies on trial: Greenwashing claims could set legal precedent in France
PARIS, June 6 — Environmental groups took TotalEnergies to court yesterday in a landmark Paris trial, accusing the French oil and gas giant of misleading consumers with ads that overstate its climate commitments and fossil fuel transition. It is the first such case in France targeting a major energy company and could set a legal precedent for corporate environmental advertising, which is starting to face tighter regulations in the European Union. The civil case stems from a March 2022 lawsuit by three environmental groups accusing TotalEnergies of 'misleading commercial practices' for saying it could reach carbon neutrality while continuing oil and gas production. The plaintiffs took that legal route as 'greenwashing', or the act of claiming to be more environmentally responsible than in reality, is not specifically covered under French law. Starting in May 2021, TotalEnergies advertised its goal of 'carbon neutrality by 2050' and touted gas as 'the fossil fuel with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions'. At the time, the company had changed its name from Total to TotalEnergies to emphasise its investments in wind turbines and solar panels for electricity production. The plaintiffs allege that TotalEnergies made around 40 'false advertisements' in their lawsuit. 'For the average consumer, it is impossible to understand that TotalEnergies is actually expanding fossil fuel production,' said Clementine Baldon, a lawyer for the NGOs. The company's strategy 'will not help the energy transition', Baldon told the court. 'It delays it, even prevents it, and it contributes to putting the objectives of the Paris accord at risk,' she added, referring to the international agreement aimed at curbing climate change. TotalEnergies maintains it has not engaged in misleading commercial practices. 'Greenwashing would be to promise that the petrol sold in service stations is carbon neutral,' said the company's lawyer, Francoise Labrousse. TotalEnergies had 'never said its products are good for the climate', she added. TotalEnergies also insisted that the messages are part of its institutional communications regulated by financial authorities and not consumer law. It also argued the NGOs are misusing consumer protection rules to challenge its corporate strategy, and that no consumer organisation is party to the case. The NGOs want the Paris court to rule on the legality of ads presenting natural gas as essential to the energy transition. Climate experts say methane leaks from the gas industry have a powerful warming effect on the atmosphere. But TotalEnergies noted Greenpeace Belgium had previously considered natural gas useful for the energy transition and noted the group still uses fossil fuels in its boats. Correcting ads Environmental groups in recent years have turned to the courts to establish case law on companies misleading consumers by appearing more eco-friendly than they are. In Europe, courts ruled against Dutch airline KLM in 2024 and Germany's Lufthansa in March over misleading consumers about their efforts to reduce the environmental impact of flying. In Spain, utility Iberdrola failed to secure a conviction against Spanish oil and gas company Repsol over similar allegations of 'false' environmental claims. A greenwashing case against Australian oil and gas producer Santos, challenging its claim to be a 'clean fuels' company, has been ongoing since 2021. Other fossil fuel companies, under pressure from advertising regulators or legal complains, have had to scrap or correct ad campaigns. Shell, for example, received a warning in the UK and had to stop promoting 'carbon-neutral' gasoline in several countries, including Germany, the Netherlands and Canada. New European laws now ban vague, generic environmental claims such as 'green' or '100 per cent natural' product, and aim to require brands to more strictly substantiate environmental claims on labels and in advertising. TotalEnergies has said it plans to show that its messages 'about its name change, strategy and role in the energy transition are reliable and based on objective, verifiable data'. At the end of the hearing, the judge said a ruling would be given on October 23. — AFP
