"... VINCI is committed to respect human rights of all the people who may be impacted by its activities. VINCI is also sensitive to the fact that human rights defenders worldwide are under threat... The lawsuit filed regarding alleged defamation committed by Sherpa was in no way intended to silence Sherpa, the alleged victims, or to silence other civil society organisations regarding VINCI.

The lawsuit filed was done so specifically to defend ourselves in the face of allegations that we believe are unfounded. Filing a SLAPP law suit that “has the intention of silencing or intimidating the Human Rights defenders from further engaging in criticism, opposition, public participation, and similar activities”, as defined on the BHRRC website, would be contrary to our public human rights commitment and our values as a company..."