October 12th 2016
Between October 14-16th 2016, Monsanto will be put on trial in The Hague for crimes against humanity. Specific charges include human rights abuses and ecocide, the large-scale destruction of the environment, as part of an international tribunal targeting the agro-chemical corporation.
This is a moral tribunal1, organized by civil society groups to protest the lack of available legal tools to hold Monsanto accountable for its actions. The Tribunal will assess specific allegations of harm made against Monsanto, as well as the human health and environmental damage caused by the company throughout its history. Eminent judges will hear testimonies from victims and experts, including PAN Internationals’ Dr. Peter Clausing, Ms. Sarojeni V. Rengam and Mr Francois Veillerette. The panel of judges will deliver an advisory opinion following International Criminal Court Procedures. Monsanto representatives have been invited to attend.
The Tribunal also builds on the findings of the Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT)2, held five years ago in Bangalore, India and organized by PAN International.3
Dr Peter Clausing, from PAN Germany, will be giving evidence (4) (5) at the International Peoples Tribunal on the arguments regulatory agencies (BfR, EFS) used to deny the carcinogenicity of glyphosate. He will present on Sunday, 16 October 2016 from 12:30 to 13:00 during the Hearing on “Pressures on stakeholders and institutions.”
Mr Francois Veillerette, from PAN Europe will be speaking at The Peoples Assembly6 on the 14th of October between 14:30-16:00 as part of the “Poisoning Life” workshop. They will be will be speaking about “pesticides in people: a widespread contamination that threatens the health of present and future generations.”
Ms. Sarojeni V. Rengam, from PAN Asia & the Pacific on behalf of PAN International will be hosting an event at The Wintergarden of The Peoples Assembly on Saturday 15th October at 12:45 to share findings from the newly released Glyphosate Monograph7, a “state of the science” review presenting a large body of research documenting the adverse human health and environmental impacts of glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides. The review underscores the need for a global phase-out and has been welcomed by environmental and health advocates as a wake up call for regulators, governments and users around the world.
Ms Angeliki Lysimachou, from PAN Europe and Mr Koen Hertoge, from PAN Italy, will be moderating the workshop B series9 on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th at the Peoples’ Assembly on ‘Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals: How to ban them.’
Quotes
Ms. Sarojeni V. Rengam, Director PAN Asia & the Pacific
“The poisoning of people and the environment is still going on as highly hazardous pesticides such as glyphosate are being produced and marketed by corporations like Monsanto. This is even in the face of the classification of the International Agency for Research on Cancer of glyphosate as a probable carcinogen.”
“The PPT on agrochemical TNCs and now the Monsanto Tribunal are marks of an escalated international people’s movement against agrochemical TNCs and to stop these corporations from violating the human rights of people, particularly children and marginalized communities,”
Dr Peter Clausing, PAN Germany
“Proper evaluation of the evidence provided by EFSA and ECHA in their own documents, inevitably leads to the conclusion that glyphosate is carcinogenic in experimental animals, warranting a Category 1B carcinogenicity labelling of glyphosate in accordance with the European CLH categories.”
Keith Tyrell, PAN UK
”For far too long Monsanto, and the rest of the agrochemical industry, have been allowed a free hand to poison the planet for their own profits. It is clear that politicians and regulators around the world are not prepared to step in and hold them responsible so it is up to us, the people, to hold them to account. We hope that this tribunal will shine a light on the harmful activities of Monsanto and the destruction their pesticides cause to people and planet and that it will provoke and embolden those that are charged with ensuring the health of this world into finally taking action against them”.
Judy Hatcher, Director PAN North America
“Monsanto has been reaping profits at the expense of farmers and communities across the globe for much too long. Its GE/pesticide packages epitomize the failures of industrial agriculture, keeping farmers trapped on a pesticide treadmill that only benefits Monsanto’s bottom line.
“From Iowa to Argentina, this corporation’s products and practices have put the health and livelihood of farmers and communities at risk for too long. The Tribunal offers an important opportunity to spotlight these harms on a global stage.”
Supporting Documents
4 The 31 August 2015 Addendum to the Renewal Assessment Report on Glyphosate – A critical analysis
5 PAN Germany: Comments on ECHA’s CLH – Report regarding Carcinogenicity
6 International Monsanto Tribunal Program
7 The Peoples Assembly program
9 Peoples’ Assembly Workshop Details
For more information please contact:
Keith Tyrell, PAN UK: +44 (0) 7588706224: keith@pan-uk.org
Dr. Peter Clausing, PAN Germany: +49 (0) 176-7801 2705, peter.clausing@pan-germany.org
Sarojeni V. Rengam, PAN-Asia Pacific: +60124789545, sarojeni.rengam@panap.net
Angeliki Lyssimachou. PAN Europe, +32 2-318-6255, Angeliki@pan-europe.info
Paul Towers, PAN North America, +1 916-216-1082, paul@panna.org
