MILD SENTENCE FOR GREENPEACE

20 October 1999

Stavanger/Stockholm -- The judgment was delivered from Stavanger’s county court this afternoon in the trial against the Greenpeace activists that partook in a peaceful demonstration against commercial whaling in June 1999. While two activists received 10,000 NOK fines, a third activist received a 3,000 NOK fine, despite the fact that the prosecutor asked that all three be sentenced to pay 15,000 NOK in fines each. The activist who received the 3,000 NOK fine is 40 year old Mark Hardingham, who was brutally run over by the Norwegian coast guard during the action in mid June.

It is interesting to note that the Court has fined the three activists differently. We feel that the Court has taken the coast guard’s actions and the resulting crash into account when setting the fines, says Frode Pleym, spokesperson for Greenpeace Nordic.

Last week’s trial took an unexpected turn when the prosecutor changed a central part of the charge. The change is based on the testimony given by the whalers on board the Vilduen. The whalers admit that they were not pursuing a whale when Greenpeace was in the area, which is what the prosecutor had based his charge on.

Even if the judgment does not follow the prosecutor’s demands, Greenpeace is not satisfied.

It is the Norwegian state and not Greenpeace that should be convicted. We have the right to protest when Norway every year defies the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) moratorium against commercial whaling. This is a clear violation of article 65 in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which states that countries shall co-operate with international organizations in the management of whales, says Frode Pleym for Greenpeace Nordic.

Norway wants to reopen export of whale meat but already today, with such export banned, illegally caught whale species are sold on the international market.

It is irresponsible of Norway to promote cross border trade without ensuring that endangered species are protected. Based on the precautionary principle, Norway has the responsibility to ensure that the necessary control mechanisms are in place before export begins.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Frode Pleym, Greenpeace Nordic, +47 95 80 49 50, +47 22 20 51 01

For background information on the whale campaign see also www.greenpeace.no/english