GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS RELEASED FROM OKINAWA JAIL AFTER CARRYING OUT PEACEFUL PROTESTS

24 July 2000

AMSTERDAM -- The four Greenpeace activists who were arrested on Friday after attempting to deliver a letter protesting against illegal logging to the leaders of the G-8 - the world most powerful industrial nations, were released this morning in Okinawa, Japan. The four members of the environmental organisation were highlighting illegal and destructive logging which is rampant in the world's last remaining ancient forests.

The Greenpeace flagship the Rainbow Warrior entered the exclusion zone that Japanese authorities had set up around the summit venue in Nago, Okinawa. Eight logs from ancient forest destruction, with the flags of the G-8 countries and the EU, were towed by zodiacs in an attempt to deliver the logs to G-8 heads of government. Early Saturday morning the Rainbow Warrior was raided by Japanese authorities and prohibited from departing from the port until the G-8 summit was over.

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Visit Greenpeace's Ancient Forest website for more information.