Subject: [cwj 17] JAPANESE POLICE VIOLATE INTERNATIONAL LAW TO SILENCE GREENPEACE
From: Amit Srivastava <amit@corpwatch.org>
Date: Thu, 11 May 2000 13:44:14 -0700
Seq: 17

"If every public protest continues to be met with such a strong reaction
from the police and from the government in Japan, there is a real danger
that it prevents the public from demanding accountability for crimes
committed against theenvironment," - Sanae Shida, Executive Director of
Greenpeace Japan.=20


JAPANESE POLICE VIOLATE INTERNATIONAL LAW TO SILENCE GREENPEACE=20
Greenpeace International
11 May 2000

TOKYO/AMSTERDAM -- Greenpeace today condemned the heavy-handed actions of
the Japanese authorities against its activists, the flagship Rainbow
Warrior and the Greenpeace Japan office as an unreasonable attempt to
silence peaceful public protest.=20

This morning at 08h10 local time, over 30 police officers raided the
"Rainbow Warrior" in the port of Tokyo. The raid lasted over nine hours and
resulted in the confiscation of the ship=92s property, including the ship=92=
s
logbook. The Japanese Government also
violated international law by refusing the Dutch Consul access to the crew
of the Greenpeace flagship =93Rainbow Warrior=94 during police investigation=
s.
(1)=20

The Greenpeace lawyer in Japan arrived on the raid scene, but was denied
access to the wharf by the Japanese police. The ship=92s Captain, Joel
Stewart, called for assistance from the Dutch Embassy in Tokyo, as the
"Rainbow Warrior" is a Dutch-flagged ship,
but the embassy official=91s attempts to visit the ship were also stifled by
police.=20

"The authorities are trying to stifle our right to send the message out to
the world that Japan is one of the world=92s top polluters.  Now they have
escalated their activities against us to include violating our human
rights," said Greenpeace Japan Toxic Campaigner Ayako Sekine. Mamie
Mutchler, Legal Advisor for Greenpeace International added: "The Dutch
Consul is entitled to ensure that the civil and political rights of the
citizens of the Netherlands are upheld under international law. Greenpeace
condemns this violation of international law as well as the refusal of the
Japanese authorities to permit Greenpeace access to legal counsel." The
Japanese
Police also raided the Greenpeace Japan office at 09h30 and cut off its
communication to the outside world for three and a half hours. They seized
public leaflets that contain information on the problems of toxic emissions
into the environment.=20

"The Japanese authorities are not afraid of our actions, but of our
message. This is evident in the fact the police confiscated our public
information pamphlets that provide facts about the environmental problems
associated with incinerators that emit dioxins and other toxic substances
which cause cancer and other serious health problems," Sekine said.=20

Greenpeace also called for the immediate release of the four Greenpeace
activists who were arrested in Tokyo on Tuesday after a non-violent action
highlighting the problems of dioxin emissions into the environment. Today
it was announced that the activists will be detained without charge for at
least a further ten days.=20

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Sanae Shida, Executive Director of Greenpeace Japan, Tel: +81 90 2252 95
28;=20
- Ayako Sekine, Greenpeace Japan Toxics Campaigner, Tel: +81 90 2254 0114;=
=20
- Susan Yoshimura, Greenpeace Japan Media, Tel +81 90 8116 9816;=20
- For the "Rainbow Warrior", contact Peter Sandison, Tel: +81 9022543326;=20
- Mamie Mutchler, Greenpeace International Legal Advisor, Tel: +31 20 523
6289;=20
- Teresa Merilainen, Press Officer Greenpeace International, Tel: +31 625
031001.=20

JAPANESE POLICE RAID RAINBOW WARRIOR AFTER PEACEFUL GREENPEACE PROTEST=20

11 May 2000

AMSTERDAM/TOKYO -- The Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior was raided today
at 08h10 local time by the Japanese Police.  The Japanese authorities were
looking for evidence against the four Greenpeace activists arrested on
Tuesday after they had climbed
the tower of the world=92s tallest incinerator complex in Toshima Ward, in
Tokyo, to demand an end to waste incineration. The police made a demand to
search the ship thoroughly, including the computer data, the ship=92s logboo=
k
and the crew=92s personal belongings.=20

"We are appalled by this overreaction from the Japanese authorities. This
police action against Greenpeace is totally unwarranted and too
heavy-handed. Our protest was non-violent and should not have been met with
these repressive acts," said Captain of the
Rainbow Warrior, Joel Stewart. "We will not allow these measures to
interfere with our right to peacefully protest against damaging the
environment."=20

Detention of the four activists, Al Baker (United Kingdom), Marleen van
Poeck (Belgium), Clement Lam (Hong Kong/Canada) and Paul Schot (the
Netherlands) now continues for the third day. Before the 48h investigative
detention deadline closes on Thursday afternoon, the activists must be
brought into the Tokyo District Prosecutor=92s office to hear the charges
against them. "If every public protest continues to be met with such a
strong reaction from the police and from the government in Japan, there is
a real danger that it prevents the public from demanding accountability for
crimes committed against the environment," said Sanae Shida, Executive
Director of Greenpeace Japan.=20

The international environmental group emphasized that the action it carried
out was intended to highlight both local and global environmental and
health implications of burning waste =96 particularly in areas where the
incinerators are located. Japan has the
highest levels of dioxin emissions in the world today, as a consequence of
having more waste incinerators than any other country in the world. Dioxins
are toxic substances created during the incineration process and are linked
to liver cancer and other deadly
diseases.=20


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