Public trial of Monsanto for ecocide

Over 800 organizations from around the world are supporting and participating in this process while over 100 people's assemblies and tribunals are being held across the world, the Indian NGO Navdanya reports. The organization founded and led by Vandana Shiva, is co-organizing, along with multiple civil society organizations, the Monsanto Tribunal and People’s Assembly to take place at The Hague from 14 to 16 October 2016.

The Monsanto Tribunal will hold Monsanto accountable for their crimes against humanity, human rights violations and ecocide, in tandem with the People’s Assembly, a gathering of leading movements and activists working to defend our ecosystem and food sovereignty. 

Preconditions for a succcess of the Monsanto Tribunal changed

The UN-backed court International Crime Court (ICC) announced recently "a change of focus". According to an article in The Guardian the ICC said "it would also prioritise crimes that result in the “destruction of the environment”, “exploitation of natural resources” and the “illegal dispossession” of land. International lawyers said broadening the priority cases to include land-grabbing would recognise that mass human rights violations committed during peacetime and in the name of profit could be just as serious as traditional war crimes. Environmental destruction and landgrabs could lead to governments and individuals being prosecuted for crimes against humanity by the international criminal court following a decision to expand its remit", summarises the article. The ICC has been criticised for its reluctance to investigate major environmental and cultural crimes, which often happen in peacetime.

According to The Guardian a member of the ICC working group said that they are looking at the broader context in which crimes are committed and are extending the focus to include Rome statute crimes already in our jurisdiction.

Accusations of the Monsanto Tribunal

"Giant agribusiness interests which came out of the war industry, have poisoned life and our ecosystem, are destroying our biodiversity and the lives of small farmers, appropriating their land, in an attempt to control and profit from these essentials for life on earth," these are some of the accusations the Monsanto Tribunal will talk about according to Navdanya. Multinationals like Monsanto have already expanded their control over our seeds, our food and our freedom, depriving us of our basic human rights and our right to democracy. With patents and international property rights (IPRs) as their tools, they have established monopolies and threatened the rights of farmers and consumers, Navdanya continues.

People’s Assembly

The aim of the Assembly is to shine the light on crimes against nature and humanity of mega chemical and biotechnological industrial corporations which through patents on seed have opened the doors to the invasion of GMOs. Based on the ecocide and genocide of the past century, the Assembly will lay out the necessary actions for a future based on the rights of small farmers to save and exchange seed, on self determination of food, on agroecology, the rights of consumers and workers in the sector, on the commons and a sharing economy, as well as on the rights of nature and a true Earth Democracy, states Navdanya.
Speakers include: Vandana Shiva, Nnimmo Bassey, Andre Leu, Ronnie Cummins, Hans Herren, Dr. Eric Seralini, Percy Schmeiser, and others.

Read also Monsanto in Court

Visit the Monsanto Tribunal Website