Last Updated on 11/17/2022 by てんしょく飯
In June of this year, more than 130 individuals and organizations issued statements of support for Amber Heard, who lost her defamation lawsuit against her ex-husband, Johnny Depp.
Over 130 Individuals and Organizations Express Support for Amber Heard
Amber Heard, who lost her defamation case against her ex-husband, actor Johnny Depp, in June of this year, has a powerful supporter.
In the 2018 trial in the U.K. of Johnny vs. the popular British newspaper The Sun*, it was determined that The Sun’s report that Johnny was violent toward Amber was “not substantially contrary to the facts,” but in a trial in the U.S. this year*, it was determined that Amber was However, in a trial* held in the U.S. this year, Amber was ordered to pay a total of $15 million (approximately 1.95 billion yen) in compensation to Johnny, after a Washington Post editorial in which she implicitly accused him of violence was judged to be “false and defamatory. Amber also won $2 million in compensation in a counterclaim against Johnny.
*The United Kingdom has a single judge system in which a single judge conducts the hearing and sentencing, while the United States has a jury system in which an elected citizen decides whether or not a person is guilty.
Since Johnny won the legal case in the U.S. trial but lost the case in the U.K. trial, public opinion is split in half between Johnny’s defenders, who deny Amber’s claim that Johnny violated her, and Amber’s defenders, who support Amber’s claim.
The fact that Amber has been subjected to severe slander on the Internet was on the agenda of the trial in the U.S., and not only Amber but also her defenders have been targeted, and the harassment and slanderous acts are still continuing. Concerned about such a situation, individuals including well-known human rights activist Gloria Steinem and author Sue Morgan Steiner, as well as Women’s March Action, which leads the Women’s March, the Women’s March Foundation, and many other organizations focused on women’s rights advocacy, domestic violence (DV), and sexual assault awareness issued a joint statement.
Below is a full translation of the open letter signed by over 130 feminist organizations and individuals.
Five months ago, the verdict in the defamation trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard raised deep concerns among many experts in the field of intimate partner sexual violence. As noted by A.O. Scott of The New York Times and many others, the defamation of Ms. Heard and the online harassment of her and those who have voiced their support for her has been unprecedented in both intensity and scale. Much of this harassment has been fueled by misinformation, misogyny, biophobia, and a monetized social media environment in which allegations of female domestic violence and sexual assault were ridiculed for entertainment. And the same misinformation and victim-blaming techniques have been used against others who have claimed abuse. In our opinion, the trial verdict in Depp v. Heard and the ongoing debate surrounding it demonstrate that there is a fundamental misunderstanding of intimate partner sexual violence and the survivor’s response to it. The damage caused by the proliferation of such misinformation is incalculable. We are gravely concerned that defamation suits are being misused by survivors to intimidate and silence them. We condemn the public shaming of Amber Heard and express our support for her. We support everyone’s right to report sexual violence by a close partner without harassment or intimidation.”
Incidentally, Amber is appealing the verdict of the trial in the US. Johnny, on the other hand, is also appealing against the partial acceptance of Amber’s claims, and if both or one of their motions are granted, they will face each other in court again.
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