A Dutch Sea Shepherd anti-whaling activist has been cleared on all counts by a judge in Japan.

The Dutch volunteer, Erwin Vermeulen, was arrested on 16 December while trying to film the transfer of dolphins from the sea to holding pens at the Japanese resort of Tajii. He was accused of pushing a Japanese whaling employee.

The Japanese prosecutor can still launch an appeal against the sentence but Mr Vermeulen is free to leave the country in the meantime. His father says he is due to arrive in the Netherlands later this week.

Every year, Tajii is the scene of a massive dolphin hunt, with the Japanese authorities issuing 23,000 licenses to coastal areas for dolphin slaughter. Some animals are sold to aquariums worldwide.
 
Mr Vermeulen, a member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, had travelled to Japan at his own expense to collect footage of the slaughter.

(cl)

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