Biotech giant Monsanto is facing charges of ‘crimes against humanity’ at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
A three-day mock trial began on Friday 14 October, headed by anti-GM food activists, in order to establish a legal mechanism that could hold corporations accountable for damage they cause in the pursuit of profit.
The trial comes at a time when a damning new report was released that show Monsanto’s GMO products are not only harmful, but that their political influence in Washington and around the world have eroded democracy and caused environmental chaos and social injustice.
Activistpost.com reports:
This tribunal will consist of five international judges listening to the testimonies of thirty witnesses and experts from around the world as they tell their stories profiling the nature of Monsanto’s environmental terrorism on humanity and the planet. A website dedicated to this tribunal (monsantotribunal.org) details some of the background and specifics surrounding the goals of this upcoming tribunal:
The aim of the Tribunal is to give a legal opinion on the environmental and health damage caused by the multinational Monsanto. This will add to the international debate to include the crime of Ecocide into international criminal law. It will also give people all over the world a well documented legal file to be used in lawsuits against Monsanto and similar chemical companies.
Critics of Monsanto claim that the company has been able to ignore the human and environmental damage caused by its products and pursue it devastating activities through a systematic concealment strategy through lobbying regulators and government authorities, lying, corruption, commissioning bogus scientific studies, putting pressure on independent scientists, and manipulating the press.