Hội Luật gia Dân chủ Quốc tế
OPEN LETTER TO
THE PARIS COURT OF APPEAL
The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL), a worldwideNGO of progressive law professionals with consultative s tatus at ECOSOC in the UN, has, for many years, been working to support the Vietnamese victims ofthe Agent Orange that the US Army sprayed in Vietnam during the wartime. In 2004 the IADL instituted a lawsuit in the US Courts seeking compensation for the victims. In 2009 IADL organized an International Peoples’ Tribunal of Conscience to investigate and determine liability of the United States Government and the Chemical Companies, which manufactured Agent Orange to be used in Vietnam War.
The IADL is of the view that the United States Government had engaged in an illegal war of aggression against Vietnam and was therefore liable to the people for the results of that war and that chemical companies were jointly liable for manufacturing chemicals, most specifically the Agent Orange, which is known to contain high levels of dioxin, one of the most toxic substances known to man. There are currently many children and grandchildren of those exposed who arebeing born with Agent Orange related birth defects and illnesses.
IADL appreciates the tireless efforst of Ms. Tran To Nga, one of the victims of the Agent Orange, in bringing the lawsuit to the Court against the US chemical companies that produced and supplied Agent Orange to be used in Vietnam War. This lawsuit brings justice to not only Ms. Nga, whose first child died of heart defects and second child suffers from a blood diseace, but also to all victims of this dangerous chemical substance in Vietnam and in the world. And it’s not only for the current generation, but also for future generations and for a world of peace and justice!
IADL is not satisfied with the Evry Court Decision made on 10 May 2021 saying it did not have jurisdiction to hear the case on the ground that the companies were acting “on the orders” of the U.S. government, which was engaged in a “sovereign act”. IADL considers this ruling untenable, because the US chemical companies were not forced by the U.S. Government but voluntarily joined the bidding and produced the poison, therefore they should be responsible for their production and the court should have the jurisdiction to hear it.
IADL believes that Evry Court did not consider the fact that the production of the toxic chemicals for the US military in the Vietnam war was not compulsory for the chemical companies, but they were free to participate in tenders to produce toxic chemicals for profit. The Court also did not consider the fact that the chemical companies had known that dioxin was a highly toxic substance, but still intentionally changed the technical process of synthesizing the two herbicides 2.4-D and 2.4.5-T to shorten the production time of Agent Orange to reduce costs and increase profits while increasing the dioxin content already present in substance 2.4.5-T.
Knowing that upon Ms. Tran To Nga’s appeal, on May 7, 2024 the Paris Courtof Appeals will open a hearing to decide the rightfulness of the Evry Court Decision, IADL strongly calls the Paris Court of Appeals to reject the unreasonable decision of the Evry Crown Court. We request that the Paris Court of Appeal review this decision carefully and consider all relevant factorsthoroughly to issue a fair ruling so that victims of Agent Orange can have a fair compensation for the miserable injuries they have been suffering. This well-deserved justice is long overdue and IADL will be side by side with the victims until they are duly compensated.
IADL also calls for all other outrages of international humanitarian law against innocent civilians be stopped immediately.
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Thư ngỏ gửi
Tòa án Phúc thẩm Paris
Hội Luật gia Dân chủ Quốc tế (IADL), một tổ chức phi chính phủ toàn cầu gồm các chuyên gia luật tiến bộ có tư cách tư vấn tại ECOSOC ở Liên Hợp Quốc, trong nhiều năm đã hoạt động để hỗ trợ những người Việt Nam nạn nhân của chất độc da cam mà Quân đội Hoa Kỳ rải ở Việt Nam trong thời gian chiến tranh. Năm 2004, IADL khởi kiện lên Tòa án Hoa Kỳ để yêu cầu bồi thường cho các nạn nhân. Năm 2009 IADL đã tổ chức Tòa án Lương tâm Nhân dân Quốc tế để điều tra và xác định trách nhiệm pháp lý của Chính phủ Hoa Kỳ và các Công ty hóa chất sản xuất chất độc da cam sử dụng trong chiến tranh Việt Nam. Tiếp tục đọc →