.An Icelandic craft trainee is being filed a claim against by Iceland's most extensive sportfishing firm, Samherji, after making an artwork apologizing for its claimed task in the so-called Fishrot rumor.
The scandal takes its own name coming from a store of over 30,000 files seeped through a former Samherij staff member in Namibia and also released through Wikileaks in Nov 2019. The supposed "Fishrot Record" detail e-mail correspondence in between Samherji's employees proposing that the firm paid for countless bucks in kickbacks to upper-level public servants and officials in Namibia to get the southern African country's fishing quota.Samherji had firmly refused allegations of bribery and also the 10 indicted Namibian officials have opposed their purity surrounded by detention for over four years. The situation reached Namibia's high court at the end of last year as well as is continuous.
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In 2023, performer Oddur Eysteinn Friu00f0riksson, known as ODEE, brought in the art work Our experts are actually Sorry. The work was a phony UK-registered internet site imitating Samherji's official website, however with the artwork's title smudged in big typeface across the homepage.
" I burnt and saddened by the activities of Samherji in Namibia, which were left open via the 'Fishrot Data,' which after 3 years no person had actually been actually hauled into court or even held accountable," ODEE told ARTnews. "I experienced that no one from Iceland had actually communicated to Namibia to apologize for what took place. Therefore, my artwork is an apology in support of Icelanders to the Namibian country.".
Oddur Eysteinn Friu00f0riksson, additionally referred to as ODEE.Courtesy of Oddur Eysteinn Friu00f0riksson.
ODEE, who is examining for a masters in fine art at the College of Bergen, Norway, likewise sent a news release entitled "Samherji Says sorry, Vows Reparation and Participation along with Experts" to one hundred overseas media electrical outlets in twenty different countries.
" Our experts at Samherji would love to issue a professional apology for our participation related to the Fishrot detraction," the phony news release checks out. "Our experts acknowledge the seriousness of the charges versus our company, which include corruption, bribery, and also neocolonialism. These actions have actually undermined Namibia's governance and also deprived the nation of important earnings for health and also education and learning. Our company accept to using assistance expenses to make it possible for corrupt monetary purchases, removing monetize Namibia, as well as paying marginal income taxes. Our team additionally acknowledge that our experts have actually illegally profited from mackerel allocations, which triggered job losses and resilient damages to the Namibian economic situation.".
Samherji reacted to the performer's news release by releasing an official claim in Might in 2015.
" Samherji's focus has actually been pulled to the truth that unfamiliar unethical events have actually sent a phony press release in Samherji's label to international media electrical outlets," it reads. "The very same events additionally seem to have set up an artificial web site by the company ... It must be actually kept in mind that not either the website nor journalism release has any sort of link along with Samherji or even the provider's workers. This seems a planned attack that the provider takes extremely seriously.".
Around the same opportunity, Samherji submitted a problem in the UK, implicating ODEE of hallmark violation and also malicious falsehood as well as finding loss among the bunk web site and also news release. A UK higher court of law judge authorized an interim order last Might to remove the site. The scenario is actually still ongoing.As component of the art pieces, the artist likewise painted the words "WE'RE SORRY" on a wall at Iceland's Reykjavu00edk Fine art Museum. The mural belonged to a group show for graduates coming from the Iceland College of the Fine Arts, where ODEE researched just before transferring to Norway.
The landscape at Iceland's Reykjavik Art Museum.Courtesy of Oddur Eysteinn Friu00f0riksson.
ODEE possesses create a GoFundMe page to raise money for his defense. He told ARTnews that he will certainly be actually obliged to safeguard himself in courthouse if he falls short to increase $22,500. At the moment of writing, contributions tot simply over $4,500.
" I am today at a crucial juncture. My lawful group has actually been actually working done for free for a lot of months, yet Samherji, a multi-billion buck company, has actually used tactics designed to exhaust our information," he pointed out. "Without financial backing at this critical point, I fear I will stand up alone and also without correct self defense in the higher court of London.".
A hearing is actually set to occur at the end of September in the UK. Andra Matei, a lawyer from Paris-based law practice Avant-Garde Lawyers, which concentrates on defending artists, has been actually working with ODEE. She informed ARTnews that Samherji is looking for a review opinion, which would determine the result without a hearing.
" Our team want ODEE to possess his time in judge," Matei pointed out. "This situation is actually an unusual and also one-of-a-kind possibility to balance the right to freedom of speech of an artist against the internet protocol civil liberties of an enterprise, when points to consider of public rate of interest are at risk. While this is vital for ODEE, the case has significant ramifications for the whole artistic community. Giving [Samherji's] claim might seriously discourage musicians and everyone else from speaking up in artistic techniques to produce important conversations and keeping the workout of public and also exclusive power to profile.".
Matei mentioned the self defense she has readied is "cutting-edge." "Our team are actually shifting the concentrate on ODEE's right to civil liberty," she clarified. "Free speech is not a self defense you will normally use in an intellectual property scenario.".
The Affiliation of Icelandic Artists, meanwhile, launched a declaration this week putting down Samherji's activities.
" It is actually a severe concern when a sizable scale global corporate organization uses it u00b4 s energy as well as monetary excellence to describe and limit the freedom of expression through taking legal action against an art trainee in an international court of law where the student has even less indicates and options to protect himself," it reads. [Our company reveal] outright and also indisputable teamwork with the freedom of speech and articulation of performers.".
In 2021, Samherji CEO u00deorsteinn Mu00e1r Baldvinsson sent an affidavit with the High Court of Namibia, vehemently refuting any participation or even understanding of misbehavior. (Samherji ex-general manager and also whistleblower Ju00f3hannes Stefu00e1nsson had actually formerly charged Baldvinsson of being actually the "main architect" of arrangements between Samherji and also the Namibian sportfishing associations. In the affidavit, Baldvinsson denied involvement in any kind of such discussions as well as mentioned he could possibly "undoubtedly not be actually called the 'primary engineer.'").
Around the very same time, Baldvinsson launched a social claim.
" It is my as well as Samherji's organization opening that no illegal misdemeanors were devoted in Namibia by firms on our part or even their workers, besides the perform that the previous handling supervisor has actually directly confessed to as well as accepted. Nonetheless, as Samherji's magnate, I am responsible for making it possible for business methods in Namibia to occur. It has actually disturbed our team, good friends, families, business partners, clients and also others in our community. I am actually really sorry that this taken place, and also I good luck ask forgiveness to all those entailed, each individually and in support of the company. Right now it is crucial to make certain that nothing like this takes place once again. Our company are going to surely strive for that.".
Samherji carried out certainly not respond to ARTnews' request for comment.