Sweden: Activists pulled from water
Two Greenpeace activists, who have been held in isolation in police cells for eight days in Sweden, following a peaceful protest against an oil dumping vessel, have been told they will be kept in jail until trial. No date has been yet been set.
The two women, Liz Rickman, a fifty year old doctor with dual Australian and British nationality and Kristina Petersen, a 27 year-old student from Germany have still not been charged with any crime, but have been detained on suspicion of aggravated trespass. (1)
Both women took part in a peaceful protest to protect the Baltic Sea from a vessel that had been caught dumping oil there, which is illegal under Swedish law. (2) Yet while the owners and operators of the vessel walked free from court, both Liz and Kristina have spent the last week in police cells. And today they were told they would remain there until trial, although no date would be given for the court case.
This is a violation not just of their civil rights, but also their human rights. It is shocking that such a normally liberal country as Sweden, with a good track record on environmental issues should adopt such a brutal approach to peaceful protestors highlighting environmental crimes. The women are being held in wholly inadequate conditions in police cells designed only for short term or overnight detention, not longer periods. They have been refused access to legal representation of their choosing and to Greenpeace representatives.
During initial proceedings the women were brought before the magistrate separately behind closed doors. Greenpeace believes there have been a number of breaches of the European Convention of Human Rights through the treatment of these two women, including degrading treatment, the denial of their right to legal counsel of their choosing, and the possibility of being prosecuted because of their beliefs.
Previous court cases involving other Greenpeace activists in Sweden facing aggravated trespass charges have resulted in no more than a fine being imposed. None has ever been imprisoned. The prosecutor claims both women are a flight risk, though no Greenpeace activist world-wide has ever failed to appear in court to face charges. An appeal against the ruling will be lodged with the Supreme Court in the morning.
