In Support of Amber Heard: Dozens of Feminist Organizations Sign Open Letter – National | Globalnews.ca

Five months after Johnny Depp’s trial of Amber Heard, more than 130 organizations and individuals have signed an open letter in support of Heard.

The letter, released on Wednesday, expressed strong sympathy and encouragement for Heard, 36, who lost a high-profile defamation lawsuit against Depp, her ex-husband, in June. Depp, 59, sued Heard over a Washington Post comment in which she described herself as a “public figure who advocates domestic violence.”

Dozens of women’s rights organizations, including the National Women’s Law Center, Esperanza United and Futures Without Violence, signed the open letter. Numerous doctors, lawyers and academics also signed independently, including author and activist Gloria Steinem.

The letter was written by a group of people who claim to be survivors of domestic violence. In the letter, they cited the “defamation” of Heard and her supporters as a phenomenon “unprecedented in both its severity and scope.”

During the six-week livestream process, Heard was subjected to severe taunting and shaming from staunch Depp supporters. Social media has been flooded with outrage over the actor’s allegations of domestic violence at the hands of Depp. (In court, Depp claimed he was the real victim of domestic violence.)

“Much of this harassment has been fueled by disinformation, misogyny, biphobia and a monetized social media environment that has mocked a woman’s allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault for entertainment,” the letter reads.

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Jury awards Johnny Depp $15 million in defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard

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The open letter called for this public shame Aquaman Actor is dangerous to other domestic violence survivors who want to speak out.

“In our opinion, the judgment in Depp v. Heard and the continued discourse about it points to a fundamental misunderstanding of intimate partner violence and sexual violence and how survivors are responding to it,” the letter reads.

The letter ended by condemning the “public shaming of Amber Heard”.

In a press release, Emma Katz, a domestic abuse author and researcher who signed the open letter, said that during the trial, “behaviors common among survivors were relentlessly mocked and misunderstood.”

“These common behaviors of survivors, including covering injuries with makeup and leaving the perpetrator and arranging to meet again, have been widely condemned as signs of deception,” she said in the press release.

She continued, “Many survivors watched with trepidation as these public conversations unfolded, as the question ‘Will I be believed if I speak up’ seemed to be answered with a resounding ‘no.'”

On Twitter, Katz and several other signers said they were “proud” to have signed the open letter.

Following the Depp v. Heard trial, a seven-member jury ruled in favor of Depp, awarding the actor $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.

Heard was awarded $2 million in a positive ruling on one of her three counterclaims. In the counterclaim, Heard and her lawyers alleged that Depp was “associately liable” for three statements made by the actor’s former lawyer, Adam Waldman, to the British tabloid The Daily Mail.

This month, Depp appealed Heard’s partial win, claiming the verdict in his ex-wife’s favor was “wrong.”

In October, Heard also filed a brief that laid the groundwork for an appeal.

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If you or someone you know has been the victim of intimate partner violence or is involved in an abusive situation, please contact the Canadian Resource Center for Victims of Crime for assistance. They can also be reached toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.

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