A UN rapporteur has shown support for Just Stop Oil – by attending the trial of five of the group’s members after cops arrested them BEFORE they even did anything.
Just Stop Oil: UN rapporteur out in support
UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the Aarhus Convention and former UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Michel Forst is attending the ongoing trial of five Just Stop Oil supporters at Southwark Crown Court.
The special rapporteur’s office released a statement on 24 June detailing his views regarding the criminal prosecution of Daniel Shaw in this trial. The statement can be read here.
The Aarhus Convention, to which the UK is a signatory, aims to promote environmental democracy by ensuring public access to information, participation in decision-making, and access to justice in environmental matters.
The Special Rapporteur monitors the implementation of the convention’s provisions by its parties, ensuring compliance with obligations related to access to justice. Additionally, the Special Rapporteur investigates complaints from individuals or groups alleging violations of their rights under the Aarhus Convention, assesses specific cases, and makes recommendations to ensure compliance.
Daniel Shaw, Cressie Gethin, Lucia De-Abreu-Whittaker, Louise Lancaster and Roger Hallam are currently on trial at Southwark Crown Court, charged with conspiracy to cause a public nuisance in connection with the M25 gantry actions in November 2022.
On trial for ‘precrime’ based on the words of a hack at the Sun???
They were arrested either pre-emptively in police raids at their homes after attending a Zoom call in which a snitch Sun journalist was present, or arrested travelling near the M25 respectively. The Sun alleged it had ‘infiltrated’ the meeting and boasted of tipping off the police and enabling National Highways to secure a public injunction.
Some of these five were imprisoned for up to 113 days without trial. They were released subject to stringent conditions including a 10pm to 7am house curfew, not to be within a one-mile radius of the M25, no contact with other defendants and not to participate in any climate change demonstration.
Campaign group Defend Our Juries was also still outside the Just Stop Oil trial. As the Canary previously reported, on 2 July cops arrested 11 of its members over sign-holding – on the orders of the judge. Since then, more people from Defend Our Juries have come out:
SOLIDARITY & STANDOFF 🧵
The #SouthwarkStandoff this morning saw ten sign holders defy Judge Hehir’s overreach yesterday by visiting Southwark Crown Court under significant risk of arrest.
Hehir ordered the arrest of 11 sign holders yesterday, sparking national outrage 1/ pic.twitter.com/GGDwe339XP
— Defend our Juries (@DefendourJuries) July 3, 2024
The 11 will be back in court in September for potential contempt of court action.
Meanwhile, in another trial involving Just Stop Oil supporters, which was the first under the new Public Order Act 2023 for a Section 7 offence, Judge Hehir who is overseeing the current proceedings barred all legal defences from the defendants and prohibited any mention of the climate crisis to the jury.
This trial concluded with a conviction, and Judge Hehir is expected to sentence the defendants at a future date.
Featured image via Just Stop Oil
