SUPPORT TRAN TO NGA IN HER HISTORICAL TRIAL!

SUPPORT TRAN TO NGA IN HER HISTORICAL TRIAL!

SUPPORT TRAN TO NGA in HER APPEAL AGAINST MONSANTO-BAYER, DOW CHEMICAL, HERCULES and the 11 OTHER COMPANIES ** that manufactured and supplied AGENT ORANGE!

Tran To Nga, a direct victim of the Agent Orange attacks during the Vietnam War, sued 14 agrochemical companies for the damages she suffered. She appealed the latest judicial decision issued by the Evry Court in 2021, in France, which failed to hold those corporations accountable.

This appeal is the continuation of a long and arduous trial, for which we need financial support so that Tran To Nga and her lawyers can cover the costs of this historical Court battle.

This is not a trial like any other! This trial will be a marker in the history of justice. We must be up to the task! This trial is driven by citizens and public interest. - William Bourdon, One of Tran To Nga's lawyer

The video has English, Vietnamese and French subtitles options

The battle continues...

For 10 years, Tran To Nga has received an overwhelming amount of financial and moral support from activists, public figures, civil society organizations, and elected officials.

Without this support, as an 80-year-old journalist, Nga’s story would not have echoed as much across the media and public opinion, which are equally valuable to hold Monsanto-Bayer et al. accountable and have them pay for the damages they benefited from. This is further enhanced by movements some of you have taken part of such as global marches against Monsanto and agrochemistry and other demonstrations for the recognition of the crime of ecocide. From social media to the Evry Court of Justice: we are thankful to all of you who have committed to justice.

Yet we still need you and many more to join onboard this unprecedented battle for socio-environmental justice — not only for Nga, but to establish a precedent under French law that will facilitate access to justice and reparation for victims of similar crimes.

At the Court of Evry, France, January 2021. Drawing © Florent Lazare

Your contributions: her strength!

It is no secret that the 14 companies sued by Tran To Nga have disproportionate financial means and influence, which they have used to discourage Tran To Nga morally and financially.

As you know, "time is money", and it is also "the sinews of war". The companies being sued are short neither of time nor money. Since the start of this trial, with its many twists and turns, the companies have continued to enrich themselves.

On the other side, ten years of judicial struggle have financially burdened Tran To Nga, which is why we are launching a new campaign to raise the 12,000 euros needed to keep financing the trial. The 12,000 euros are needed to cover various legal expenses such as secretarial work, assistants at the Court, translation costs, along with Tran To Nga's travels in France and overseas to seek support and partnerships with non-profit organizations and political personalities.

Donating, if you can, will not only help her financially but also morally and ensure the fight for justice can advance so that the final outcome of this judicial battle will be on the right side of history.

Tran To Nga during a demonstration in Paris, 2021. Picture © Mai Nguyen

Beyond Tran To Nga — A Historical Trial

Supporting Tran To Nga also means supporting the millions of victims poisoned between 1961 and 1971 by the US military.

The sprayings of Agent Orange consist “one of the greatest deadly and environmental disasters” according to Mr. William Bourdon, who adds “between glyphosate and Agent Orange, Monsanto is a recidivist, a serial poisoner.” Indeed, the spraying of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War destroyed 20% of South Vietnam's forests and contaminated 400,000 hectares of agricultural land, which had dreadful consequences on the inhabitants in this area, some of whom have been poisoned by dioxin which got passed onto their offspring. Ever since many newborns and people in this area have suffered from the crimes that occurred half a century ago as the ecosystems that have been impacted are still contaminated. Health consequences from Agent Orange include cancers, organic diseases, neurotoxic effects, congenital malformations and various other impairments and are now contaminating the fourth generation of victims.

Beyond justice for Tran To Nga, “it is a question of corporate accountability. These companies have caused damage to other individuals which is a civil fault. It is not a question of recklessness but of malice” according to Mrs. Amélie Lefebvre, another of Tran To Nga’s lawyers.

A Vietnamese professor is pictured with a group of children victims of Agent orange. Picture © Alexis Duclos.

But recent victories of gardener Dewayne Johnson in the United States and farmer Paul François in France regarding glyphosate, show that this trial can be one for justice. That is why we are counting on your financial support to carry the case as far and as long as possible. Tran To Nga demands justice and reparations. Beyond her case, this is about the recognition of the damage caused to millions of Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange and dioxin.

They thought they would weaken me by dismissing me, but it's not true. Because you are standing with me. In the next few years, the fight will continue. (...) they cannot dismiss our cause because our cause is just, they cannot dismiss all my friends, my supporters in the whole world - Tran To Nga, December 1st, 2021 at the town hall of the 13th district of Paris, during the commemoration evening for all the victims of chemical weapons.

The video has English and French subtitles options

** list of companies that have produced or marketed Agent-Orange-Dioxin: DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY, MONSANTO COMPANY, HERCULES INC., UNIROYAL CHEMICAL CO INC, UNIROYAL CHEMICAL ACQUISITION CORPORATION, UNIROYAL INC., UNIROYAL CHEMICAL HOLDING COMPANY, OCCIDENTAL CHEMICAL CORPORATION, MAXUS ENERGY CORPORATION, IERRA SOLUTIONS INC., THOMPSON-HAYWARD AGRICULTURE & NUTRITION, DIAMOND SHAMROCK AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS INC., DIAMOND SHAMROCK CHEMICAL COMPANY, DIAMOND ALKALI COMPANY, THOMPSON HAYWARD CHEMICAL COMPANY, HARCROS CHEMICALS INC. et PHARMACIA & UPJOHN INCORPORATED.