Hans Teeuwen en Theo Maassen gearresteerd
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2000
SEA SHEPHERD CREWMEMBERS ARRESTED IN FAROE ISLANDS
Police try to incite mutiny against whale protection vessel
Three crewmembers of the Ocean Warrior, the Sea Shepherd International
vessel stationed in the Faroe Islands to protect pilot whales from mass
slaughter by Faroese fishermen, have been arrested. Three indictments and a
fine of 50,000 DKr (US$8000) have been levied against the ship by the
authorities.
Sea Shepherd Development Director Frank Trinkle and Dutch comics Hans
Teeuwen and Theo Maassen were arrested shortly after 11p.m. GMT by Faroese
police when they stepped off an inflatable life raft at the dock in
Torshavn, the Faroese capital. Captain Watson has been served with
indictments for entering Faroese waters illegally, for not leaving when
instructed after he was first refused entry, and for not leaving after all
crew were served with formal refusal of entry.
"We went exactly where instructed when ordered by Faroese Customs, and we
have our Customs clearance in hand," said Ocean Warrior Captain Paul Watson,
president of Sea Shepherd. "Legal harassment from authorities is nothing new
for us. The Faroese always become unhappy when attention is brought to the
fact that they persist in the slaughter of a sentient species that should
have stopped more than a hundred years ago. That's what we're here for."
Sea Shepherd has lodged an official complaint with the British government
against the Faroese police for having instructed the crew of the Ocean
Warrior to "forcefully convince the captain to leave, or purposely prevent
him from re-entering Faroese waters." An attempt to incite a mutiny on a
British-registered vessel in undisputed international waters is a grave
offense under maritime law.
The Faroese drive hunt or "grind" involves driving pilot whales and dolphins
into shallow bays and slaughtering them with gaffes and long knives. Sea
Shepherd's "Operation GrindStop" has organized a boycott of Faroes seafood
by European food chains. Four of the largest -- Aldi's, Edeka, Tenglemann,
and Rewe -- have agreed not to renew their Faroese purchase contracts until
the Faroes end the grind hunts.
The Faroe Islands have the highest standard of living and largest commercial
fishing fleet per capita in Europe. The whale hunt is continued in the name
of tradition rather than from a subsistence need.
