As the date for the historic Monsanto Tribunal draws near, an increasing number of civil society organizations are expressing support to the initiative that aims to make the agrochemical giant to answer for its various crimes against the people and the environment.
In her video message as a “patron” for the Monsanto Tribunal, PAN Asia Pacific (PANAP) executive director Sarojeni Rengam on behalf of PAN International said, “We are concerned that Monsanto and other agrochemical TNCs (transnational corporations) produce poisons that continue to harm human health and the environment.”
The video may be viewed here – https://www.facebook.com/monsantotribunal/
According to its organizers, the Monsanto Tribunal is an international civil society initiative to hold Monsanto accountable for human rights violations, for crimes against humanity, and for ecocide. Eminent judges will hear testimonies from victims, and deliver an advisory opinion following procedures of the International Court of Justice.
The Tribunal will take place from 14 to 16 October 2016 in The Hague, Netherlands.
Rengam specifically identified Monsanto’s glyphosate called Roundup as one of the highly toxic products that the company produces and permanently damaged the environment and poisoned countless people.
Roundup is a probable carcinogen classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and yet Monsanto persists in marketing the said product. The PANAP official pointed out that use of Roundup has increased tremendously due to the aggressive public relations and marketing efforts by Monsanto. Consequently, it has caused untold poisonings such as the death of 11-year old Sylvino Talavera from Paraguay.
“We hope that this unique Tribunal will bring justice to Sylvino and others who been poisoned, harassed and devastated by the actions of Monsanto. We encourage more people and organizations around the world to support it,” Rengam said.
In a monograph prepared by PANAP for PAN International, the group noted that glyphosate herbicides have been frequently used in self-poisonings and many deaths have occurred, especially in Asia, from as little as 3/4 of a cup of formulated product. There have also been many cases of unintentional poisonings amongst users and bystanders, the former often experiencing severe chemical burns and respiratory problems.
Widespread poisonings have occurred in Latin America as a result of aerial spraying of genetically modified GM soybean crops, and of coca crops in Colombia—effects being recorded as far as 10 km away from the supposed spray zone. The coca spraying (instigated by a US government funded program to eliminate cocaine production in Colombia) was also reported to have also resulted in widespread animal deaths.
Reference: Ms. Sarojeni Rengam (sarojeni.rengam@panap.net)
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