Taiwanese Activists Protest T2 Verdict

Greenpeace activists display a banner in front of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (also known as Liberty Square). Written in Japanese, the banner translates to "Activism is Not a Crime." They are protesting the verdict against the two activists Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki (the Tokyo Two) who exposed widespread corruption in the Japanese government’s Southern Ocean whaling programme. The two activists, who have become known as the "Tokyo Two," 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.