Trial of environmentalists postponed for second time due to strike

The trial of environmental activists Climáximo, who blocked Engeneiro Duarte Pacheco Avenue in Lisbon in December 2023, was postponed this Wednesday for the second day in a row due to a strike by judicial officials, a source connected to the defense said.

The trial, which began on Monday but only with a morning hearing, has been delayed successively due to the strike continuing for an undetermined period of time.

A source contacted by Lusa said he does not yet have new dates for the trial to continue.

At the start of the trial, Climáximo activists, the vast majority of whom are young and accused of the crimes of “interruption of communications” and “civil disobedience,” were identified by the petty criminal court and expressed their intention to give statements.

However, when he realized that each of them wanted to read a manifesto against the people and companies responsible for what they considered environmental collapse, the judge forbade them to do so, arguing that it was beyond the scope of the case.

Then the defense of the accused objected that “the trial is related to climate issues,” but the judge did not agree with the reading of manifestos in defense of the climate and against those who threaten the planet.

Ten of the 11 accused activists who appeared on the first day of the trial said in their defense that they did not hear the PSP order to disperse from the scene. This version was refuted by three PSP agents, who, however, had difficulty determining to whom they individually gave the dispersal order.

According to a Climáximo report sent to Lusa, more than 40 actions have been organized over the past six months, during which the authorities have identified about 100 activists, of whom 75 have been detained.

“There are 13 active cases, three of which have already received final decisions: one case was sent to the archives, three cases resulted in a guilty verdict, a total of nine people were sentenced to one year of imprisonment, converted into fines ranging from 600 to 1600 euros per person “Trials are already scheduled for May in connection with the actions at the Cascais airfield, in June for the blockade of Escola Politecnica and in September for the checkpoint in Plaza José Fontana and Avenida 24 de July,” Climáximo explained.

Regarding the ongoing trial of the eleven accused, Climáximo reminds us that there is a parallel program of April Assemblies, which already includes debates, conversations, lunch together and much more.

“At the rally, people declared that the consequences of inaction now are far more dire than any reprisal of current actions, identifying the priority measures of the “Disarmament Plan” for the “great action of resistance to the (climate) war.” That’s what they told us,” say the same activists.

Meanwhile, more than fifty members of the judiciary gathered this Wednesday at the Justice Campus in Lisbon to protest the lack of response to their demands and expressed the desire to hold classes also on April 25th.

The president of the Union of Judicial Servants, António Marsal, stressed that he expects the government to respond to demands for the inclusion of a procedural surcharge, payment for additional work and staffing.

“It is time for April 25th to face justice and, above all, for April 25th to be April 25th for judicial officials. April 25 brought major changes to the dignity of labor and the rights of workers, so it’s time, on the 50th anniversary of April 25, we, judicial officials, will also have the right to our April 25,” he emphasized.

A meeting is also scheduled for May 7 in front of the Ministry of Justice building in Terreiro do Paço in Lisbon from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.