ACTA : Act Up-Paris sued for slander

Act Up-Paris is being sued by two former civil servants of the Ministry of Economy resenting the fact that they have been named in a press release denouncing in particular the opacity of the negociations towards the ACTA treaty and warning it might have dire consequences on the accessibility to treatments against HIV in poorer countries. We appeal to all those who have demonstrated their opposition to this treaty to support us financially.

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This lawsuit is a threat to the very survival of the association, which is now facing harsh financial difficulties. Beyond our organization and the struggle against the AIDS epidemics, our loosing this trial would also have dire consequences for all citizens and organizations that will later denounce equivalent treatises.

Two years ago, you were taking part to the struggle against ACTA, this international agreement which, had it been signed, would have harshly restrained our rights and fundamental liberties, in particular as far as access to medicines, the neutrality of Internet and open software are concerned. Today we appeal to your solidarity. To support us in this trial is to defend the right of civil society to launch alerts against threats, to denounce international agreements being negotiated without citizen control and to question the responsibility of civil servants led to counsel our political decision-makers without their having full knowledge of what is at stakes with these treatises.