Whitney Henriquez, sister of Amber Heard, praised a new open letter that condemns some of the reactions that occurred as a result of the Johnny Depp defamation verdict.
"Finally, the tides are shifting...Finally!" Henriquez wrote in a Thursday post on Instagram.
This summer, a jury in a highly-publicized trial found that Heard defamed her ex-husband, Depp, by writing a 2018 opinion article in The Washington Post. Depp was awarded $10 million in damages as a result, though Heard won $2 million in a counterclaim. Both Depp and Heard are appealing the verdicts.
The open letter of support for Heard was published online Wednesday, and it has been signed by prominent organizations such as the National Organization for Women (NOW), Equality Now and the Women's March Foundation. Feminist writer Gloria Steinem, actress Constance Wu and director Amy Ziering have also lent their names to the document.
"We condemn the public shaming of Amber Heard and join in support of her. We support the ability of all to report intimate partner and sexual violence free of harassment and intimidation," the letter reads.
"To simply say that my faith in humanity has been called into question since the trial/verdict would be a gross understatement...Not only did it highlight some pretty f****** major flaws in the judicial system, it also showed just how deeply misogynistic this world is and how harassment of anyone who speaks out or has a differing opinion is just simply accepted (just take a look at some of the comments on my posts, and undoubtedly this one 😂)." Henriquez wrote.
She added, "Its a world that I'm scared to raise my kids in, and every day it just seems harder and harder to navigate and deal with. Until today....Seeing this letter signed by over 130 experts and organizations now was a much needed breath of fresh air."
The letter spoke out against "the vilification of Ms. Heard and ongoing online harassment of her and those who have voiced support for her have been unprecedented in both vitriol and scale."
"Much of this harassment was fueled by disinformation, misogyny, biphobia, and a monetized social media environment where a woman's allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault were mocked for entertainment," the letter said. "The same disinformation and victim-blaming tropes are now being used against others who have alleged abuse."
A press release that accompanied the letter included a statement from Elizabeth Tang, Senior Counsel for Education and Workplace Justice at the National Women's Law Center.
"Everyone should be able to report abuse without fear of retaliation," Tang wrote. "The threat of a defamation suit alone can silence a survivor. And if a survivor has already reported, their abuser can misuse defamation law to force them to recant, punish them for coming forward, or continue the cycle of abuse. In the aftermath of the high-profile Depp-Heard defamation trial and the vitriolic online harassment unleashed against Heard and her supporters, we are deeply concerned that survivors will be further intimidated from reporting abuse."
Newsweek reached out to Heard and Depp for comment.
Update 11/17/22 3:55 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include more background information.
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