Free Peter Bethune – stop whaling too

OK, John Key: What are you going to do about Peter Bethune?

The Australian Green Party leader Bob Brown has called your government “spineless” for not doing anything to secure Peter Bethune’s release from a Japanese jail.

And it’s true Mr Key, spineless is only half of it. Your government is also caving in to pressure from the whaling nations to tone down global demands to stop the barbaric practice.

As the Sea Shepherd organisation says, Peter Bethune is a political prisoner. If he was being held by the North Koreans, or Chinese perhaps you might have been a little braver in your response.

The charges against Peter Bethune are ridiculous and so too is the fact that the Japanese government has not properly investigated the sinking of Bethune’s ship the Ady Gil, which was deliberately rammed by a whaling vessel.

[NZ Herald 2/4/10]

Peter Bethune could face up to 15 years in jail if convicted of assault and “business obstruction”. That’s almost as disgusting as the harpooning of whales for “research” purposes.

Peter Bethune was entitled to serve citizen’s arrest papers on the captain of the Japanese vessel that sank the Ady Gil. This is what he was doing when he was detained and transported back to Japan. [Sea Shepherd]

Sign the online petition calling for Peter Bethune to be released.