French court blocks activist's quest to sue companies over Agent Orange
A Paris court has once again blocked an attempt by French-Vietnamese activist Tran To Nga to hold chemical companies accountable for the use of Agent Orange, which killed and maimed millions of people during the Vietnam War. The court upheld the companies' legal immunity – a decision that has sparked renewed outrage among victims and their supporters.
In a first reaction, Tran's lawyer Bertrand Repolt told journalists: "We are not surprised, but obviously disappointed."
He said that the decision reflected a "bad interpretation" of jurisprudence when it comes to corporate immunity, showing that the companies in question have a lot of leeway.
Like in 2021, the Paris appeals court ruled that it did not have jurisdiction to judge a case involving the wartime actions of the United States government, on whose orders the chemical companies supplied Agent Orange.
Repolt stressed that the judgement is not "final" and that the battle will continue in the Court of Cassation, France's top appeals court.
Meanwhile a spokesperson for Vietnam's Foreign Ministry, quoted by the daily Vietnam News, said that Hanoi found the ruling "very regrettable".
"While the war in Vietnam has long ended, its tremendous implications continue to linger on the country and people of Vietnam, including the long-term severe consequences of Agent Orange," spokesperson Pham Thu Hang told reporters.
Through the generations
(with newswires)
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