Argentinian Activists Protest Tokyo Two Verdict

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GP026AH

09/06/2010

In front of the Jardín Japonés (Japanese Gardens) in Buenos Aires, Greenpeace activists dressed in whale costumes hold banners which read "WTF! Guilty for Defending Us?" They are protesting the verdict against the activists Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki (known as the 'Tokyo Two') 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.

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