Abuse group Mission NGO defends Johnny Depp against Amber Heard allegations

A women’s abuse group voiced support for Johnny Depp Friday — joining a growing chorus of the actor’s female friends and co-stars who have defended him amid claims he physically and sexually abused ex Amber Heard.

Mission NGO, a non-profit that fights violence against women and children worldwide, expressed “compassion” for the 58-year-old “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor.

“As women, as mothers, we have the duty and the responsibility to educate our sons and daughters … without any gender distinction, in order to prevent violence,” Valeria Altobelli, the group’s president, said in a statement.

“[It is with] deep respect for the victims of domestic abuses that we have to affirm … our compassion for Johnny Depp in this bad page of his personal history.”

The group didn’t elaborate, or immediately return a request for comment Friday.

The statement came a day after music producer Bruce Witkin testified that Depp used drugs and alcohol to cope with emotional pain. Depp has previously testified that his mom, Betty Sue Palmer, physically and psychologically abused him.

On Thursday, singer Courtney Love and actress Eva Green also defended Depp as a caring person — despite Heard’s testimony that he threatened to kill her and once broke her nose in a jealous rage.

Love posted a video on Twitter describing how Depp rushed to save her from a drug overdose at a nightclub in the 90s and was sweet to her daughter, Frances Bean.

Mission NGO argued Johnny Depp needs compassion during a “bad page of his personal history.”
Mission NGO argued Johnny Depp needs compassion during a “bad page of his personal history.”
Mission NGO
Actors Johnny Depp (L) and Eva Green attend the European Premiere of 'Dark Shadows' at Empire Leicester Square on May 9, 2012 in London, England.
Actress Eva Green anticipates Johnny Depp will win the defamation trial with his “good name and wonderful heart.”
Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

“I don’t really wanna make judgments publicly, but I just want to tell you that Johnny gave me CPR in 1995 when I overdosed outside the Viper Room with Sal. Johnny, when I was on crack and Frances was having to suffer through that with social workers, wrote her a four-page letter that she’s never showed me on her 13th birthday. He didn’t really know me,” she said.

Green, meanwhile, said she had no doubt Depp will “emerge” victorious in the trial.

“I have no doubt Johnny will emerge with his good name and wonderful heart revealed to the world, and life will be better than it ever was for him and his family,” Green, who starred with Depp in the 2012 fantasy “Dark Shadows,” wrote on Instagram.

Actor Amber Heard reacts on the stand in the courtroom at Fairfax County Circuit Court during a defamation case against her by ex-husband, actor Johnny Depp, in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., May 5, 2022.
Amber Heard has accused Johnny Depp of assaulting her during their honeymoon in 2015, and on other occassions.
Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via REUTERS

Other female celebrities — including Sia, Wynona Ryder, Helena Bonham and Penélope Cruz — spoke out on Depp’s behalf during his UK libel trial in 2020.

“The idea that he is an incredibly violent person is the farthest thing from the Johnny I knew and loved,” Ryder, a former girlfriend of Depp, said in 2020. “He was never, never violent towards me. He has never been violent or abusive towards anybody I have seen.”

Cruz added, “I’ve seen Johnny in so many situations and he is always kind to everyone around. He is one of the most generous people I know,” she said.

Actor Amber Heard testifies in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 16, 2022.
Heard previously declared she was a “public figure representing domestic abuse,” in an opinion article published in The Washington Post in 2018.
AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool

The musician Sia also defended Depp in a tweet at the time, writing “Just showing my public support for Johnny Depp.

“I mean, I’d love him to get clean and stop with the jewellery, but he is clearly the victim after hearing those tapes.”

In the UK case, Depp sued the publisher of the UK Sun’s over a headline calling him a “wife-beater” and lost.

MISSION is a non-profit organization That supports women and children worldwide, defen-ding Their rights and protecting them from physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, through education and activism.
Mission NGO insists people must be educated about domestic violence “without any gender distinction.”
Mission NGO
Valeria Altobelli attends the red carpet ahead of the Johnny Depp masterclass during the 19th Alice Nella Città 2021 at Auditorium della Conciliazione on October 17, 2021 in Rome, Italy.
Valeria Altobelli is president of domestic violence victim’s group, Mission NGO.
Daniele Venturelli/WireImage

Depp is now suing Heard for $50 million for claiming in a Washington Post op-ed that she was a victim of domestic violence.

source: nypost.com