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28 April 2008                    

President of Poland
Lech Kaczynski
ul. Wiejska 10
00-950 Warszawa
Poland

Dear President Kaczynski:

We, the undersigned organizations, request that your honor consider the pardon from prison of Marian Zagorny.  He is an activist farmer known for defending sustainable agricultural practices and opposing genetically modified organisms.  Marian Zagorny’s work, from which he does not draw profit, is extremely valuable for the future of Polish and European farmers.  When governments and scientists fail to protect the people from the negative effects of industrialized animal farming and genetic manipulations in agriculture, it is people like Mr. Zagorny who fill the void and, on behalf of those who take no action, act to fight for our food safety and food sovereignty.

Genetically modified crops can interbreed with and contaminate unmodified crops, creating offspring that interact unpredictably with other organisms and the environment.  This is especially dangerous for farmers who wish to avoid GMOs and have no recourse to protect their crops from cross-pollination and contamination.  Though well-documented, the dangers of GMOs are underplayed by industry, and people who dare to question this technology are labeled as enemies of progress.

GMO critics have raised questions about the ability of bacteria in human intestines to pick up antibody-resistant genes from genetically modified food.  This could create powerful new bacteria resistant to known antibiotics, making human diseases harder to treat.  In short, neither the biotechnology industry nor the scientific community has determined the various implications of genetically modified crops. 

Corporations drawing profits from GMO technology such as Monsanto (also known for providing chemical weapons during the Vietnam War) want the justice system to silence people like Zagorny and put them in jail.  Biotechnology corporations that disregard traditional rural values, the well-being of farmers and the safety of consumers prefer to work in areas where GMO opposition is marginalized and criminalized rather than proving the safety of their technology, which so far they have not been able to do.  Placing Marian Zagorny behind bars vindicates these interests, and we cannot accept this.

The activism of Marian Zagorny goes beyond fighting GMOs.  He is known for charitable work with impoverished rural families, but most of all he is known for staging protests aimed at big agribusiness and meant to show dire conditions of Polish family farming. The protest actions conducted by Marian Zagorny capture public attention.  They meet the criteria of civil disobedience and, though unconventional, they are conducted in the name of a higher goal of public good.  Mr. Zagorny is not afraid to talk about the link between the domination of Polish pork production by multinational corporations and the thousands of domestic farmers who have been driven out of business.

Farmers organizations and civil society groups throughout Europe and the world respect and admire Mr. Zagorny’s activism and courage.  He is one of a very few Polish farmer activists who is invited to international meetings and forums of farmers organizations.  He is credible and authentic, and he represents Poland strongly and proudly within the European farmers’ movement.  He is a charismatic leader of whom all Poland can be proud.      

Poland should not prosecute and penalize activists like Marian Zagorny who are working to raise public awareness about dangers of industrialized agriculture and questionable technologies such as GMOs. With all respect, we encourage you, President Kaczynski, to pardon Marian Zagorny in regard to all of his pending sentences, as his action were not harmful to the society and only meant to preserve and protect Poland’s farmers and agriculture system.


Sincerely Yours,


Andoni Garcia, COAG, Spain
Rene Louail, Coordination Paysanne Europeenne
Irmi Salzer, OEBV-Via Campesina Austria
Susan George, Transnational Institute, Amsterdam
Jadwiga Lopata, International Coalition to Protect Polish Countryside, Stryszow, Poland
Piotr Kawiorski, ATTAC, Poland
Michał Sobczyk, Magazyn „Obywatel”, Poland
Instytut Spraw Obywatelskich, Poland
Koalicja „Polska Wolna od GMO”, Poland
Maciej Muskat, Greenpeace, Poland
Mieczyslaw Babalski, Ekoland
Marek Kryda, Animal Welfare Institute, Poland
France Libertés  Danielle Mitterrand Foundation, Paris, France
Matyas Benyik, ATTAC, Hungary
GM-free Ireland Network (on behalf of 130 organizations)
Rune Lanestrand, Small Farmers, Sweden
ATTAC, Morocco
Humanitarian Group for Social Development, Beirut, Lebanon
Local Action Links, Nonburi, Thailand
Wenonah Hauter, Food & Water Watch, U.S.
George Naylor, National Family Farm Coalition, USA
John Peck, Family Farm Defenders, U.S.
Noah Link, New York City Coalition Against Hunger, U.S.
Kate Marsiglio, Stony Creek Farm, U.S.
Jenny Huston, MA, CEC, CDM, CFPP, Food Services Consultant, U.S.
Annie Hoy, Ashland Food Co-Op, U.S.
Jennifer A. Ford, Health & Wellness Consultancy, U.S.
Elena Kahn, Asociacion Ambientalista GUERREROS VERDES A.C., Mexico
Ana Petra Roge de Marzolini, Federacion Amigos de la Tierra Argentina