By the Borneo Project and Bruno Manser Fonds
MIRI, Sarawak – A hundred and sixty global civil society organisations have sent a solidarity letter demanding that timber company Samling withdraw its lawsuit against Save Rivers and its board members.
The letter was sent to Samling on Monday, marking one month before the start of the trial scheduled for 15 May at the Miri High Court.
At the same time, an international email petition was launched that can be signed by individuals who want to join the call to action.
Samling is suing Save Rivers for allegedly defamatory statements with regard to consultations of local communities in the context of the certification process under the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme, endorsed by PEFC International. Samling is seeking an apology, an injunction stopping Save Rivers from reporting community claims, and damages in the sum of RM5m ($1.1m) – approximately 45 times Save Rivers’ annual budget.
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Organisations that signed on to the letter include many international leaders on climate justice and the environment such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Rainforest Action Network and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Netherlands.
The list also includes prominent national human rights and conservation organisations such as Suaram, RimbaWatch, Freedom Film Network and the Teoh Beng Hock Trust for Democracy.
The Gerenai Community Rights Action Committee (GCRAC), uniting all communities within Samling’s Gerenai forest management unit, sent a separate letter of solidarity as well. The letter recognises that most of the allegedly impugned articles that Samling deems defamatory were the result of their pursuit for inclusivity, due information and clarity.
The UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders and the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, and the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre have recognised that this suit may be classified as a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP).
“It is Save Rivers’ defence that this suit by Samling is a SLAPP suit,” Save Rivers counsel Simon Siah said.
“SLAPP suits are regularly used around the world to silence and bankrupt civil society organisations,” The Borneo Project executive director Jettie Word said. “This show of support from around the world demonstrates Sarawak civil society is not alone in this struggle.”
Boyce Ngau and Erang Ngang from the GCRAC explained that the SLAPP against Save Rivers has been very harmful to the dialogue as “any active participation of stakeholders within an FMU [forest management unit] (although it is the right of the stakeholders to do so) can easily be deemed as defamatory in which legal action can be taken by the FMU …
“It is in GCRAC opinion that this lawsuit against Save Rivers should be dropped if the FMU is sincere in its efforts to fully engage all stakeholders as per required through the free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) standards. We stand in support and solidarity of Save Rivers’ plights and causes.”
The email campaign starting this week also asks Samling to withdraw the SLAPP and can be signed by individuals here. – The Borneo Project/Bruno Manser Fonds
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