4 September 2007

Media Release

Artist Sued by Tasmania Police and Forestry Tasmania for Forest Protest

"Today an aritst has been  delivered notification that she is being sued by Tasmania Police and Forestry Tasmania for a non violent action at Tahune Airwalk, carried out to highlight the destruction of Tasmania's Weld Valley.  Alana Beltran was perched atop a tripod dressed as a Weld Angel," Huon Valley Environment Centre spokesperson Jenny Weber said.

"This is another example of the bullying tactics employed by Forestry Tasmania and the timber industry, trying to silence opponents of the devastation of Tasmania's ancient forests," Jenny Weber said.

"Alana Beltran is being sued for close to $10 000. The Weld Angel image has since been used in Richard Flanagan's The Monthly Magazine Article," Jenny Weber said

"Tasmania Police has today taken the unusual step of suing a non violent protestor.  Will they be suing anyone using police services, whether they are being rescued or arrested?" Jenny Weber said

"Standing up for Tasmania's ancient forests is one of the most valuable statements an artist can make.  The most incresible art work I have ever seen is in fact the forests of the Weld Valley and places such as these in the Tasmanian southern forests that need urgent protection," Alana
Beltran said.

Contact
Jenny Weber
0427 366 929

Alana Beltran
0427 183 567