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Dienstag, 21. Februar 2012
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Sea Shepherd Cove Guardian Erwin Vermeulen Found Not Guilty By Japanese Judge
 February 22, 2012, Wakayama, Japan - In a very rare example of extreme bravery the Wakayama Court Judge presiding over the case of Sea Shepherd Cove Guardian volunteer Erwin Vermeulen, has declared the Dutch activist not guilty. This outcome was completely unexpected from a justice system that boasts a 99% conviction rate. In the Japanese court system there is a presumption of guilt, not of innocence. There is no burden of proof for the prosecutor to bear; the defendant must prove his innocence. Most defendants avoid this injustice by pleading guilty and begging forgiveness. In the very few cases in which a person dares to declare their innocence, the judge usually decides the case in favor of the prosecutor. The judge does not consider the facts or the evidence, but rather how embarrassing a loss might be for the prosecutor and how their own personal reputation may be harmed by an acquittal.
Erwin Vermeulen is the victim of a politically motivated attack. The judge himself stated there was no evidence to support the claim against Erwin. He was held in a Japanese jail for 60 days, in solitary conditions and fed a poor diet. Erwin was prosecuted for being Dutch because the Sea Shepherd ships fly the Dutch flag, and for merely being associated with SSCS. The charges of “minor assault” were based upon the untrue words of a young man who was caught failing to perform his simple task of monitoring a gate at the Dolphin Resort Hotel.
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Montag, 20. Februar 2012
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Stand Up for Our Coral Sea Whales and Sharks
 Photo: Lucy TrippettThe Coral Sea is a place where whales swim freely in warm tropical waters and coral reefs pulse with amazing colourful life. Now is our chance to protect this rare and unique place forever, but we need your help to get it over the line.
It will only take a minute of your time that will set aside a future for our precious marine life, for the benefit of future generations.
This ocean wilderness is a hotspot for whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles and powerful fish like tuna and marlin. Located next to Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef, the Coral Sea is home to 28 species of whales and dolphins and pods of up to 400 melon-headed and false killer whales have been sighted. 26 of these magnificent species are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red list of threatened species, including the endangered Blue, Sei and Fin whales as well as bottlenose, spinner and striped dolphins.
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Montag, 20. Februar 2012
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Sea Shepherd Expands Our United States Board of Directors By Welcoming Three New Members
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is growing and becoming more active each year. Access to increased resources makes this possible. We have always maintained that we do what we can, to the best of our abilities, with the resources available to us.
We have also always believed that we need a Board that reflects diversity of talent, skills, experience, and imagination.
For that reason we are increasing the size of our Board to nine.
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Freitag, 17. Februar 2012
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Cove Guardian Erwin Vermeulen aus Haft entlassen
 Sea Shepherd Cove Guardian Volunteer, Erwin VermeulenDer 16. Februar war ein sehr guter Tag der Gerichtsverhandlungen für die Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. In Wakayama, Japan, wurden im Fall des Cove Guardian Erwin Vermeulen die Schlussplädoyers gehalten.
In Wakayama leistete der Richter den Schlussplädoyers sowohl der Staatsanwaltschaft als auch der Verteidigung Folge und erließ eine Anordnung, von der Verteidigung vorgelegt, dass Erwin auf freien Fuß gesetzt werde, solange der Urteilsspruch des Richters noch ausstehe. Die Staatsanwaltschaft machte von ihrem Recht Gebrauch, eine höhere Instanz anzurufen, um damit eine Hafterzwingung für Erwin für den Rest des Verfahrens zu erwirken. Der Verfahrensrichter griff zu der außerordentlichen Maßnahme, den Akt gestern in der vergangenen Nacht dem Verfahrensgericht zuzustellen um damit sicherzustellen, dass die Berufung am heutigen Tage bearbeitet werden würde. Das übergeordnete Gericht schloß sich dem Verfahrensrichter an und wies den Antrag der Staatsanwaltschaft zurück. Erwin wurde aus dem Gefängnis entlassen und spazierte hinaus in den Sonnenschein, das erste Mal nach 63 Tagen, und war wieder mit seinen Cove Guardian-Mitstreitern vereint. Das erste, was er tat, war, seine Freundin anzurufen, dann seine Mutter, und dann auszugehen und eine vegane Mahlzeit mit seinen Freunden zu sich zu nehmen.
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