Swiss Activists Protest T2 Verdict

Outside the Japanese embassy in Bern, Greenpeace activists display banners saying "Activism is not a crime" in English and Japanese. They also wear gags over their mouths which look like Japanese flags, which represents the meaning of the verdict: the truth can't be said without being criminalised. The event is held to protest the verdict against the activists Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki who exposed widespread corruption in the Japanese government’s Southern Ocean whaling programme. The two activists were convicted of theft and trespass after carrying out a public interest investigation into embezzlement, during which they intercepted as evidence one of numerous boxes of whale meat coming from the whaling factory ship the Nisshin Maru and destined for private use, which breaches the regulations of the taxpayer-funded programme. The case of Sato and Suzuki has generated significant international attention, from senior political figures, including Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, international human rights groups and legal experts.