Featured Image Credit: REUTERS / Alamy,
Topics: Amber Heard, Johnny Depp, US News, News
Rachel Lang
A long list of feminist and women's rights organizations have thrown their support behind Amber Heard in the wake of her defamation loss against ex-husband Johnny Depp.
A total of 50 groups for women's rights and equal rights have signed an open letter in support of the Aquaman star.
More than 130 of notable individuals have also added their names to the open letter, including well-known feminist Gloria Steinem, Oxford professors, university deans, and others who work with women’s rights advocacy groups, domestic violence groups, and sexual assault awareness groups.
The open letter comes to the defence of Heard and all domestic and sexual assault survivors.
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"We condemn the public shaming of Amber Heard and join in support of her," the open letter states.
"We support the ability of all to report intimate partner and sexual violence free of harassment and intimidation."
The open letter also blasts the harassment faced by Heard during and after the trial.
"Much of this harassment was fuelled by disinformation, misogyny, biphobia, and a monetised social media environment where a woman’s allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault were mocked for entertainment," the letter states.
"The same disinformation and victim-blaming tropes are now being used against others who have alleged abuse."
Executive director of the Feminist Majority Foundation, Kathy Spilla, told NBC News that her organisation had signed the letter after observing a 'growing backlash' against women who speak out.
"If this can happen to Amber Heard, it will discourage other women from speaking up and even filing reports about domestic violence and sexual assault," she said.
A July report found evidence of online harassment campaigns during and after the Heard-Depp trial that were aimed not only at the Aquaman star but anyone who supported her online.
One woman who backed Heard told CBS at the time she had suffered through 'weeks and weeks' of harassment.
She said she was 'bombarded by people every day for weeks on end saying that Amber Heard is a liar and women lie, and I am an abuse apologist who must be lying'.
A Virginia jury unanimously found in favour of Johnny Depp back in June, finding that what Amber Heard wrote in her op-ed piece for The Washington Post was defamatory and awarded him USD$15 million ($AUD 20.6 million, £11.9 million) in damages.
The jury awarded Heard USD$2 million ($AUD 2.7 million £1.5 million) in compensatory damages, finding that in her countersuit, Heard did not prove all elements of defamation.
These charges were later capped at USD$10.35 million (AU $14.2 million, £8.2 million) by Judge Penny Azcarate.