The SeaShepherd Conservation Society has launched a campaign to obtain the immediaterelease of one of its activists, a Dutchman, arrested in Japan ten days ago.
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| Erwin Vermeulen (Photo: Sea Shepherd) |
Theanti-whaling organisation urges visitors to its facebook account to make callsand write letters to the Japanese foreign ministry and other authorites.
Accordingto Sea Shepherd, the Dutchman, a volunteer named Erwin Vermeulen, is still inShingu City Police custody. He was arrested on 16 December when attempting tofilm the transfer of dolphins from the sea to holding pens at the Japanese resortof Tajii.
An employeeclaims that Erwin pushed him; there were no other witnesses to this allegation.The organisation says a decision to release him or continue to keep him in jailis expected on 27 December.
Every year,Tajii is the scene of a massive dolphin hunt, with the Japanese authoritiesissuing 23,000 licenses to coastal areas for dolphin slaughter. Some animalsare sold to aquariums worldwide.
Vermeulenhad travelled to Japan at his own expense to collect footage of the slaughter.
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An undatedhandout photograph released by Sea Shepherd Conservation showing Japanesefishermen slaughtering dolphins in blood-soaked water in Taiji, Japan. ThoughDophins were herded into the cove made famous by an Oscar-winning documentary,none were killed this year. (EPA/Sea Shepherd Conservation) |
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Covecover-up ... tarpaulins hide the slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan |
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Cruel ...filming shows spike rammed into animal |
