Monsanto Targeted In Citizen's Tribunal For 'Crimes Against Nature And Humanity'

The trial may only be a symbolic act, but it will likely garner a ton of publicity.

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Joanna Fantozzi|Dec. 7, 2015 1:32 pm EST

Monsanto, the agricultural technology company known for being a leader in the GMO industry as well as its controversial reputation within the scientific and nutritional communities, is going on trial for "crimes against nature and humanity."Don't be alarmed though — the trial is actually only a citizens' tribunal organized by an environmental non-profit and even if Monsanto is found "guilty," there will be no legal ramifications.

The trial, prosecuted by the Monsanto Tribunal nonprofit, will be taking place in late 2016 in the Netherlands, and largely serves as a symbolic act, according to Science Alert. However, the group contends that this will be the first time the word "ecocide" will be utilized as a legal term to describe a criminal act that knowingly destroys or has a negative impact on the environment. The group is largely targeting Monsanto's usage of the herbicide Roundup, which was recently classified as containing a known carcinogen by the California government, and GMO seeds.

"Monsanto is... largely responsible for the depletion of soil and water resources, species extinction and declining biodiversity, and the displacement of millions of small farmers worldwide," activist Vandana Shiva said in a statement.

The Tribunal also explained that this will be the first step in determining if Monsanto could stand for a real criminal trial.

Monsanto has responded to these accusations with blog post that refutes both the claims and legal impact of the tribunal:

"This is not a real trial, and the results of this initiative have no legal substance–it is simply a publicity stunt,"Monsanto representative Nick Weber wrote in a post entitled Setting the Record Straight on the "Monsanto Tribunal," "The organizers of the stunt have historically shown that they are not interested in dialogue, but rather seek to create headlines that misrepresent and mislead."