Democracy Now! February 24, 1999

Sentencing Phase of Jasper Trial Begins After a week of hearing gruesome testimony and examining grisly evidence, it took a Texas jury of 10 whites and one African American less than three hours to find John William King, an admitted white supremist, guilty of capital murder in the killing of James Byrd. Civil rights leaders called King's conviction a sad victory and urged Congress to pass anti-hate legislation. GUEST: Mike Lout, reporter for KJAS, a local Jasper radio station. GUEST: Jeremy Scahill, reporter for Pacifica Radio Chevron Linked to Violence in Nigeria The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is close to making a decision on whether to approve the introduction of a Chevron shareholders' resolution. The resolution calls for a review of Chevron's code of business conduct, which would include an explicit commitment to human rights, social justice and environmental responsibility. GUEST: Steve Katzman, from Project Underground. GUEST: Simon Billings, from Franklin Research, a socially conscious investment firm. GUEST: Mike Libby, chief spokesperson for Chevron. Nigeria Human Rights Watch In a new report released this week, Human Rights watch is charging that oil companies operating in the Niger Delta are directly benefitting from human rights abuses and repression by Nigerian military. GUEST: Bronwen Mamby, Nigeria researcher for Human Rights Watch - London