On 6 August, marine conservation charity, Sea Shepherd Global, and five Sea Shepherd volunteer crewmembers were found guilty in a Danish court of breaking the Faroe Islands Pilot Whaling Act.
All parties also face a subsequent conviction of public disturbance.
The volunteers were facing charges relating to interfering in the slaughter of over 250 pilot whales on the beaches of Bøur and Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands on 23 July.
The volunteers have been ordered to pay fines ranging from €650 to €4,690 or spend a period of up to two weeks in jail. Sea Shepherd Global has also been fined approximately €10,050 for allegedly orchestrating the incidents that led to the crewmember’s arrests, although the organisation denies any wrongdoing.
At the trial, Sea Shepherd Land Team Leader, Rosie Kunneke refused to enter a plea and has since stated, “I did not enter a plea because I do not recognise the Faroese Pilot Whaling Act as a legitimate law. Denmark is a signatory state of the Bern Convention. Denmark's support of the grindadráp runs against the sentiments of its obligations under this convention, as do our arrests - which were undertaken by police officers who are officially a part of Denmark's National Police Force, and our trial in this court - which is officially a part of the Danish legal system.”
The slaughter of cetaceans is outlawed throughout the European Union, including Denmark, in accordance with Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention). However, in the Faroe Islands, the slaughter of pilot whales and other small cetaceans continues with the assistance of the Danish Police Force and Navy, and with the blessing of the Danish government.
CEO of Sea Shepherd Global, Alex Cornelissen, said, “We have no intention of paying this ridiculous, excessive fine, which undermines the very laws that this organisation is positioned to uphold. We challenge Denmark’s right to order Sea Shepherd to pay a fine for interfering against the slaughter of pilot whales – an act which itself is illegal in Denmark.”
The Deputy Chief Prosecutor is now attempting to deport the five volunteers from the Faroe Islands. Appeals are currently being lodged in relation to all charges.
