Corporate restructuring vs right to remedy for victims in light of the ongoing Lundin war crimes trial - panel discussion during the 12th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva

At Tue Nov 28, 2023 Swedwatch was co-hosting a live streamed event where a panel of experts discussed legal and ethical aspects of corporate restructuring and its impact on the right to remedy.

Questions addressed included whether a business breaches its human rights responsibility when it causes or contributes to the denial of remedies by another actor, and if it contributes to the denial of remedies through the acquisition of another business.

Discussions were build on the ongoing landmark Lundin war crimes trial, that began in September in Stockholm, where former Lundin Oil executives Ian Lundin and Alex Schneiter are accused of aiding and abetting war crimes during Sudan's 1997-2003 oil war. Victims of these crimes have yet to receive any form of redress.

Panelists:

• Anita Ramasastry, University of Washington, former chair of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights

• Tara van Ho, University of Essex, business and human rights expert

• Olof Björnsson, Swedwatch, author of "Fuel for Conflict" about the role of institutional investors in the Lundin case

• Egbert Wesselink, PAX, lead author of the 2010 report "Unpaid Debt" that led to the judicial investigation

Moderator:

• Salil Tripathi, senior advisor at the Institute for Human Rights and Business
  
  Link to the event.
  
  The event was organised by Swedwatch and PAX and took place during the 12th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva.