They say the section, drawn up 150 years ago by the British, is today routinely used by the police to harass and blackmail homosexuals, even if few are arrested.
For Chevron’s supporters, the case amounts to an attempt at judicial extortion that throws doubt on whether multinational oil companies can ever get a fair deal in parts of Latin America today.
And it has now threatened to destabilize its border with Israel, political blackmail that undermines the U.S. pursuit of comprehensive peace in the Middle East.