Editor's Note: In this case, the BBC at least provides a modicum of neutrality in its report on Chevron's destruction of the Amazon in Ecuador. A much more widely published article (1,800 results in a Google search) by the New York Times shows how the rest of the corporate media has skewed judgement by the Ecuadoran court in favor of Chevron. - Axis of Logic Crude Oil Pit. Oil contaminates the Ecuadoran rainforest. (Amazon Defense Coalition) A court in Ecuador has fined US oil giant Chevron $8.6bn (£5.3bn) for polluting a large part of the country's Amazon region. Maria Eugenia Briceno lives in the area affected by the pollution The oil firm Texaco, which merged with Chevron in 2001, was accused of dumping billions of gallons of toxic materials into unlined pits and Amazon rivers. Campaigners say crops were damaged and farm animals killed, and that local cancer rates increased. Related: Chevron Produces Phony Online News Coverage to Spread Misinformation about Ecuador Disaster Condemning the ruling as fraudulent, Chevron said it would appeal. The company will also have to pay a 10% legally mandated reparations fee, bringing the total penalty to $9.5bn (£5.9bn). Pablo Fajardo, lawyer for the plaintiffs, described the court ruling as "a triumph of justice over Chevron's crime and economic power". "This is an important step but we're going to appeal this sentence because we think that the damages awarded are not enough considering the environmental damage caused by Chevron here in Ecuador," he told the BBC. A Chevron statement said the firm would appeal, and called the ruling "illegitimate and unenforceable". Hopes of precedent The lawsuit was brought on behalf of 30,000 Ecuadoreans, in a case which dragged on for nearly two decades. The plaintiffs said the company's activities had destroyed large areas of rainforest and also led to an increased risk of cancer among the local population. The trial began in 2003 after almost a decade of legal battles in the US. At that time, a US appeals court ruled that the case should be heard in Ecuador. Environmentalists hope the case will set a precedent, forcing companies operating in developing countries to comply with the same anti-pollution standards as in the industrialised world. Ecuadorean Indian groups said Texaco - which merged with Chevron in 2001 - dumped more than 18 billion gallons (68 billion litres) of toxic materials into the unlined pits and rivers between 1972 and 1992. Abel Garrido stands near his oil-polluted pond in Coca, Ecuador. “I’ve lost 30 cows,” Garrido says. “I cut them open and their insides are black." The oil giant says it already cleaned up its share of the mess in the Amazon region, but peasant farmers continue to suffer. Protesters said the company had destroyed their livelihood. Crops were damaged, farm animals killed and cancer increased among the local population, they said. Chevron has long contended that the court-appointed expert in the case was unduly influenced by the plaintiffs. Its statement described the ruling as "the product of fraud (and) contrary to the legitimate scientific evidence". (Photos and related comments added by Axis of Logic) Source: BBC Read more about Chevron's disaster in Ecuador on Axis of Logic: Chevron Accused of Nixon-style Dirty Tricks Operation In Ecuador. Chevron's Video Transcripts Raise Questions About Oil Giant's Misconduct to Delay $27 billion Environmental Trial In Ecuador Amazon Defense Coalition: Chevron Faces Tens of Billions in Clean-up Costs; Potential Death Toll Put at 10,000 in Ecuador Rainforest CRUDE is an award-winning documentary about a $27 billion lawsuit against Chevron oil corporation. The film bares the evidence, records Chevron's denials, exposes their false PR propaganda and champions the heroic Amazonian indigenous who are fighting back. It is scheduled for release in NYC on Sept. 9, LA on Sept 17, San Francisco on Sept 25 and Washington DC on October 23. The film has received support from Amazon Watch and the Clean Up Ecuador campaign. Watch the trailer ...