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Dear Usep,
Andy Hall has been trapped in a nightmare for the last two years. In 2013 a report, which includes his research, was published stating allegations of worker abuse and slavery-like practices in the factory of Natural Fruit, a Thai company that processes pineapples and supplies retailers around the world.
Instead of looking into the allegations, Natural Fruit targeted Andy. He was charged with computer crimes and criminal defamation. His trial starts this October and if found guilty he faces 7 years in prison and more than $11 million in damages. Following our campaigning, Natural Fruit has already had one of their cases against Andy thrown out by the Thai courts.1 We must make sure the remaining charges are dropped immediately.
We don’t need to tell you how unjust this is. In Andy’s own words: “This is about persecution. It's a political case to try and silence me... I'm someone that's revealing things that the government and the industry don't want me to reveal.”2
Natural Fruit have shown no signs of giving up. That’s why we have started a campaign calling on the Thai government to intervene and drop the charges against Andy. Show your support for Andy and migrant workers that remain vulnerable to modern slavery in Thailand: take action to demand that these charges are dropped NOW.
With hope and determination,
Zoe, Jayde, Vicky and the Walk Free team
P.S. Sonja Vartiala, executive director of Finnwatch, the organisation that released the report Andy is being sued for, has warned that, “At this point, the prospects for Andy Hall to receive a fair trial are looking grim.”3 Take action to demand justice for Andy.
1 https://andyjhall.wordpress.com/2015/09/18/finnwatch-press-release-criminal-case-against-finnwatch-researcher-andy-hall-dismissed-again/
2 http://www.voanews.com/content/british-labor-rights-activist-on-trial-in-thailand-for-defamation/2435591.html
3 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/11819811/British-campaigner-indicted-in-Thailand-over-report-which-alleged-abuses-at-fruit-juice-business.html
Walk Free is a movement of people everywhere, fighting to end one of the world's greatest evils: Modern slavery.
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