Greenpeace activists charged with “theft” of whale meat – without substance!

Russian Greenpeace activists have stretched a banner in front of the Japanese Embassy in Moscow demanding the prosecution of Japanese whalers instead of the employees of Greenpeace.

In May 2008 activists of Greenpeace in Japan proved how large quantities of Japanese whale meat was “washed” by employees of a whaling company and illegally sold further at the black market. One of the illegal boxes of meat was handed in by the activists at the public prosecutor's office. As an outcome of the prosecutors investigation employees of Green Peace was arrested. Two of them are now accused of “stealing” the whale meat proving the illegal whaling business. The employees of the whaling company accused by Greenpeace, struggling with corruption and leakage of whale meat to the black market, are not deprived of their freedom for the illegal trading.

The prosecuted employees of Greenpeace are now the ones accused of illegal sale of whale meat. In case the judge declares them guilty a punishment of up to 10 years of imprisonment may be executed. - None of the arrested persons had any intentions to receive any personal benefit, claims Juichi Kejdo lawyer of the prosecuted employees.

- If they are declared guilty, this would contradict the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, concludes Kejdo.

The Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was ratified by Japan 1979 and obliges the state to guarantee detained citizens the right of self-expression and the right to inform.

A letter demanding assistance in the struggle for an independent investigation of the case has been transferred to the Russian ambassador in Japan, the representative of the Russian Federation in the International Whaling Commission and the head of Russia's Federal Fishery Agency.

An international campaign supporting the Japanese whale protection activists kicked of in Japan last week. Further actions are already executed by activists in Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Finland, Mexico, Brazil, India, France, Mexico, Brazil, USA, Canada, China, Italy, Spain, Greece and Scandinavia.