Jonathan Moylan to be sentenced this Friday, faces 10 years prison for hoax press release

According to a report released in April this year by the London-based NGO Global Witness, at least 908 environmental activists have been killed over the last decade. That number is comparable to the 913 journalists killed in the course of their work in the same period and is likely on the low side. More than two-thirds of these killings took “took place in the context of conflicts over the ownership, control and use of land,” reflecting the dark side of rapid development in many emerging economies. Worldwide, the most violent years were 2010, when 96 activists were killed, and 2011, the most recent year assessed, when 106 were slain. Latin America and Asia-Pacific particularly hard hit. Impunity for these crimes is rife: only 10 perpetrators are known to have been convicted between 2002 and 2013—just more than one percent of the overall incidence of killings. In 1914, one hundred years ago, the world had 1.75 billion people. In 1914, Europe dominated the world with 25% of earth’s total population. In 2014, Europe’s population represents a mere 10% of the world’s total. Since 2007, world population has grown by more than a half a billion people. A recent U.S. National Intelligence Council assessment found that by 2030, population growth and a burgeoning global middle class will result in a 35 percent increase in demand for food, 40 percent increase in demand for freshwater, and 50 percent increase in demand for energy. This demand for natural resource will explode, and more natural environments will be encroached on,consumed, and destroyed. Pakistan, has less than 5 per cent of its original forest cover owing to rampant and mostly illegal logging. The harvested timber is not being used to make homes, furniture or woodchips. The trees in Pakistan's cities, towns and regions are being cut down to be burnt so people can stay warm and eat cooked food. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 18 per cent of the world's population have no access to electricity at all and 38 per cent are dependent on wood, crop residues and animal waste as their main cooking and heating fuels. The IEA expects global energy demand to increase by one-third by 2035, with developing economies contributing 90 per cent of this growth. Demand for electricity will increase by two-thirds, more than other form of final energy. Coal continues to be the largest source of electricity generation, growing steadily at around 1.2 per cent per year. Climate change doesn't happen in a vacuum, but it's due to unsustainable population growth and energy demands on the planet. The IEA concludes that: “It is currently difficult to envisage a future in which coal is not used to meet growing power demand – not only in non-OECD regions, but also in many OECD countries.” Environmentalists must therefore be at least silenced by imprisonment, or removed permanently by being killed.

TODAY: JONATHAN MOYLAN TO BE SENTENCED IN SUPREME COURT, FACES 10YRS FOR HOAX PRESS RELEASE

Friday July 11th, 2014. Supreme Court of NSW, 184 Phillip St, Sydney.

Jonathan Moylan, 26, will appear for sentencing at the Supreme Court in Sydney at 10am today. Supporters will be outside court from 9:30am.

In January 2013 Moylan issued a press release on ANZ letterhead saying the bank had withdrawn its $1.2 billion loan facility from Whitehaven’s Maules Creek Coal Project on environmental and ethical grounds. Whitehaven’s share price temporarily fell before quickly recovering.

Moylan is charged under section 1041E of the Corporations Act, pertaining to the making of false or misleading statements, and faces ten years in prison and a $765,000 fine.

Rick Laird, farmer from Maules Creek whose family has farmed in the district for over 150 years, has travelled to Sydney to support Jonathan Moylan.

“ANZ’s loan means Whitehaven Coal can turn Maules Creek from a farming village into an open-cut pit. We rely on groundwater to water our livestock and for our household water supply, and the Whitehaven coal mine will lower our water table by 5-10 metres," said Rick Laird.

“We’ve been fighting this mine for years, and the stand that Jono took means that people now know what’s happening at Maules Creek.

“Jono stood with us, and now we’re here to stand with Jono,” said Rick Laird.

Ros Druce from the Maules Creek Community Council traveled to Sydney for the first time in two decades to support Jonathan Moylan at the Supreme Court today.

“Whitehaven’s coal mine threatens to wipe Maules Creek off the map. The Maules Creek community stands with Jono,” she said.

FOR COMMENT: Rick Laird, Maules Creek farmer on 0427 056 418
FOR MEDIA ASSISTANCE: Nicola Paris on 0422 990 040, Madeleine Egan on 0423 100 113

IMAGES: High-resolution photographs will be available from ~10am at https://www.flickr.com/photos/standwithjono/sets/72157645609183785/

Jonathan Moylan will not be available for comment before sentencing. His availability to comment after sentencing is dependent upon the sentence handed down.

BACKGROUND

ANZ provides a $1.2 billion loan facility to Whitehaven Coal, primarily intended to develop the Maules Creek Coal Project. The Maules Creek Coal Project is a new open-cut coal mine being developed in Leard State Forest and adjacent farm land near Maules Creek in north west NSW.

On the day of the hoax, Whitehaven Coal’s (WHC) share price dropped from $3.52 to $3.21 before a trading halt, and bounced back to $3.53 within an hour of trading resuming. Since January 2013, Whitehaven's share price has plummeted in the face of the slumping global coal price, closing at $1.45 yesterday.

Leard State Forest is located between Narrabri and Boggabri, it includes the most extensive and intact stands of the nationally-listed and critically endangered Box-Gum Woodland remaining on the Australian continent. The forest is home to 396 species of plants and animals and includes habitat for 34 threatened species and several endangered ecological communities.

The Maules Creek Coal Project is approved to extract up to 13 million tonnes of coal annually, which is estimated to produce 30 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. The mine is expected to operate for more than 30 years. The coal will be railed from the mine in north west NSW to the port of Newcastle for export. The coal mine project boundary is approximately 5 kilometres from the Maules Creek township.

JUDGE DELIBERATES, JONATHAN MOYLAN TO BE SENTENCED AT LATER DATE 3.40pm Friday 11th July, Supreme Court of NSW, 184 Phillip St, Sydney. Jonathan Moylan, 26, will be sentenced at a date yet to be set following a hearing at the Supreme Court in Sydney today. 200 supporters held a vigil in support of Moylan outside the court, while dozens of supporters filled the court room. In January 2013 Moylan issued a press release on ANZ letterhead saying the bank had withdrawn its $1.2 billion loan facility from Whitehaven’s Maules Creek Coal Project on environmental and ethical grounds. Whitehaven’s share price temporarily fell before quickly recovering. Moylan is charged under section 1041E of the Corporations Act, pertaining to the making of false or misleading statements. Rick Laird, farmer from Maules Creek whose family has farmed in the district for over 150 years, travelled to Sydney to support Jonathan Moylan. “ANZ’s loan means Whitehaven Coal can turn Maules Creek from a farming village into an open-cut pit. We rely on groundwater to water our livestock and for our household water supply, and the Whitehaven Coal mine will lower our water table by 5-10 metres. “We’ve been fighting this mine for years, and the stand that Jono took means that people now know what’s happening at Maules Creek. “Jono stood with us, and now we’re here to stand with Jono,” said Rick Laird. Ros Druce from the Maules Creek Community Council travelled to Sydney for the first time in two decades to support Jonathan Moylan at the Supreme Court today. “Whitehaven’s coal mine threatens to wipe Maules Creek off the map. The Maules Creek community stands with Jono,” she said. FOR MEDIA ASSISTANCE: Nicola Paris on 0422 990 040, Madeleine Egan on 0423 100 113 IMAGES: High-resolution photographs are available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/standwithjono/sets/72157645609183785/ Jonathan Moylan will not be available for comment before sentencing. BACKGROUND ANZ provides a $1.2 billion loan facility to Whitehaven Coal, primarily intended to develop the Maules Creek Coal Project. The Maules Creek Coal Project is a new open-cut coal mine being developed in Leard State Forest and adjacent farm land near Maules Creek in north west NSW. On the day of the hoax, Whitehaven Coal’s (WHC) share price dropped from $3.52 to $3.21 before a trading halt, and bounced back to $3.53 within an hour of trading resuming. Since January 2013, Whitehaven's share price has plummeted in the face of the slumping global coal price, closing at $1.45 yesterday. Leard State Forest is located between Narrabri and Boggabri, it includes the most extensive and intact stands of the nationally-listed and critically endangered Box-Gum Woodland remaining on the Australian continent. The forest is home to 396 species of plants and animals and includes habitat for 34 threatened species and several endangered ecological communities. The Maules Creek Coal Project is approved to extract up to 13 million tonnes of coal annually, and estimated to produce 30 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. The mine is expected to operate for more than 30 years. The coal will be railed from the mine in north west NSW to the port of Newcastle for export. The coal mine project boundary is approximately 5 kilometres from the Maules Creek township.