Nobel Prize-winning author Annie Arnoux has signed an open letter in support of Amber Heard, condemning the “vilification” and “ongoing online harassment” of the actress.
Arnoux won the Nobel Prize in Literature in October 2022 for her work depicting the lives of women in France since the 1960s, including the abortion drama Is happeningWhich formed the basis for Audrey Dewan’s 2021 Venice Golden Lion winner of the same name.
She is among a group of 68 French feminists and cultural figures who have signed an online letter marking the first anniversary of the actress’ defeat in a high-profile arbitration lawsuit brought by ex-husband Johnny Depp last June.
Further signatories included actresses Ariane Labed (Flux Gourmet, souvenir) and Zita Hanrot (angry annie, hookup plan) as well as actress-director Aisa Maiga (over water, the girl who harnessed the wind, cherches la femme), screenwriter Carolyn Deruas Pino (Plough) and cinematographer Balthazar Lab (The Pack).
They were also joined by a number of psychologists and sociologists, including prominent French economist and Green Party politician Sandrine Rousseau, decolonization expert Stéphanie Lamy and French-American feminist writer and journalist Iris Bray, as well as gender-focused expert Andrea Gruev-Vintilla.
She is the latest signatory to the so-called “An Open Letter in Support of Amber Heard”, driven by gender justice groups such as Women’s March Action in America, Refuge and Esperanza United.
He launched the letter in November 2022 in the wake of Heard’s defeat in a Virginia-set defamation lawsuit, which Depp instigated and won in response to his 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which he described himself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”. as described. ,
The letter does not question the verdict, but rather expresses concern over the “slander” and “ongoing online harassment” of the actress; The way the trial became a media circus and its implications for how she was treated for other women and vulnerable parts of society.
The letter states, “Much of this harassment was fueled by misinformation, misogyny, biphobia and a monetized social media environment where a woman’s domestic violence and sexual assault allegations are mocked for entertainment” Was.”
“The same propaganda and victim-blaming tropes are now being used against others who have allegedly committed abuse,” it continues.
A French version of the open letter announcing the new French signatories was published by the weekly French cultural magazine low obs Coinciding with the first anniversary of Virginia’s decision.
“We decided to expand our letter in support of Amber Heard to France and Europe! It was a pleasure working on this!,” the US-based group said on the letter’s Instagram page.
The jury unanimously returned a verdict in favor of Depp on June 1, 2022, following a televised trial, which Heard described as incriminating.
Depp, whose career was hit hard by allegations related to his 15-month marriage to Heard, thanked the jury for giving him his life back and said his goal in going through the trial was to uncover the truth.
Heard initially vowed to appeal the verdict, but eventually settled out of court, paying Depp $1 million in December 2022, which his lawyers said was given to charity.
A year later, both Depp and Heard appear to be attempting to move on with their lives in the wake of the verdict and settlement.
Depp walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in May as the film’s co-star jean du barryIn his biggest public engagement in more than four years, as he rebuilds his career in view of a 2022 ruling.
Heard has left Hollywood for the Spanish capital Madrid with her young daughter in what she told local media is a permanent move.