CNN —A climate activist in New Zealand faces 10 years in jail after a court found her guilty of forgery for sending a fake letter to the speakers at an oil industry conference, telling them it had been postponed due to the climate crisis.
She had been protesting outside oil conferences for years, but the 2019 PEPANZ conference was taking place in quite a small town and she was concerned few activists would be able to attend, she told CNN.
Five days before the conference, she sent the letter by email, purporting to be from oil industry organizers canceling the event until further notice.
PEPANZ organizers told speakers that the letter was fake and the conference went ahead.
Three years later, after a trial in the Dunedin District Court, Penwarden was found guilty on Wednesday of two charges of creating and using a forged document.
Persons:
Rosemary Penwarden, “, ”, Penwarden, ” Penwarden, “ I’m, Niamh O’Flynn, Rosemary, ” O’Flynn
Organizations:
CNN, Petroleum Exploration, Production Association of New, Greenpeace, Energy Resources Aotearoa
Locations:
New Zealand, Dunedin, Production Association of New Zealand, Court