It’s official, the Monsanto Tribunal declared that Monsanto is guilty of negatively impacting a healthy environment and the right to health as a basic human right.
On Tuesday April 18th the five international judges of the Monsanto Tribunal presented their legal opinion. They have come to important conclusions, both on the conduct of Monsanto and on necessary developments in international law.
The judges conclude that Monsanto has engaged in practices which have negatively impacted the right to a healthy environment, the right to food and the right to health. On top of that Monsanto’s conduct is negatively affecting the right to freedom indispensable for scientific research. These are very important and well-funded legal conclusions that can be of great help to the victims of Monsanto worldwide.
The judges also conclude that despite the development of many instruments to protect the environment, a gap remains between commitments and the reality of environmental protection. International law should be improved for better protection of the environment and include the crime of ecocide. The Tribunal concludes that if such a crime of ecocide were recognized in international criminal law, the activities of Monsanto could possibly constitute a crime of ecocide.
Finally, in the third and last part of the advisory opinion, the Tribunal focusses on the widening gap between international human rights law and corporate accountability. It strongly advises the United Nations to take action to make sure that human and environmental rights are protected by (international) laws and are not overruled by trade agreements. It should be made possible to prosecute multinational corporations in the International Criminal Court.
Find here on the “Results” page of our website the full text and the summary of the advisory legal opinion delivered by the Monsanto Tribunal judges in The Hague.
The International Monsanto Tribunal is a unique “Opinion Tribunal” convened by civil society to clarify the legal obligations and consequences of some of the activities of the Monsanto Company.
During the hearings that took place on October 15th and 16th in The Hague, judges heard testimonies related to the six questions posed to the Tribunal. The ensuing legal opinion delivered by the Tribunal includes a legal analysis of the questions asked, with respect to both existing international law, and to prospective law in order to improve international human rights and environmental law. The advisory opinion is structured in three parts:
I. The introductory section details the conditions within which the Tribunal was initiated.
II. The middle section examines the six questions posed to the Tribunal. Looking at the broader picture.
III. The final section tackles the growing asymmetry between the rights conceded to corporations and the constraints imposed upon them to protect local communities and/or future generations, wherever corporations operate.
