Wrongful Imprisonment of Capt Pete Bethune

Captain Pete Bethune is one of the three captains of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society that fight against Japanese whaling. He is being imprisoned for saving whales! You can see him on Animal Planet's Whale Wars.

Copied from Sea Shepherd's website @ http://www.seashepherd.org/matilda/support-captain-bethune.html

The Confrontation
During Sea Shepherd%u2019s 2009-2010 Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign: Operation Waltzing Matilda, Captain Pete Bethune was volunteering his services as skipper of the Ady Gil. On January 6, 2010, the much larger and more maneuverable Japanese whaling vessel Shonan Maru No. 2 deliberately rammed and split the Ady Gil in two, then hosed its crew members down with water cannons as they scrambled for safety amongst the wreckage.

The Rescue
As the Ady Gil began to take on water, the Shonan Maru No. 2 ignored Sea Shepherd%u2019s multiple requests for assistance. Fortunately, another Sea Shepherd vessel, the Bob Barker, was nearby and was able to rescue the Ady Gil crew members. After repeated attempts by the Bob Barker to salvage and tow the remains of the Ady Gil to a nearby French base, and after removal of all remaining fuel and pollutants on board, the Ady Gil was ultimately deemed unsalvageable and sunk to a watery grave.

Citizen's Arrest
As a New Zealand citizen, Captain Bethune was empowered under New Zealand law to serve a citizen%u2019s arrest warrant on the captain of the Shonan Maru No. 2 for the sinking of his vessel and the attempted murder of himself and his crew. On January 15, 2010, Captain Bethune made his first attempt to serve the Shonan Maru No. 2 with a citizen%u2019s arrest, but he was unable to complete the service.  On February 15, 2010, Captain Bethune made a second attempt, and this time, he was able to successfully board the Shonan Maru No. 2 to deliver his citizen%u2019s arrest warrant, along with an invoice for the loss of the Ady Gil.

Captain Bethune Detained
Unfortunately, upon boarding the Shonan Maru No. 2, Captain Bethune was detained and taken all the way back to Japan, where he is currently being held in a maximum security jail cell in Tokyo awaiting trial on an array of amped-up politically-motivated charges with potentially severe penalties. These charges include: (1) trespass, (2) possession of a weapon (the knife used to cut the net while boarding), (3) alleged injury to a person, (4) property damage, and (5) interference with normal business activity. At the moment, Sea Shepherd is working closely with Captain Bethune%u2019s legal defense team in an effort to obtain his release from Japan as quickly as possible.