Tokyo (dpa) – A Japanese court on Wednesday found a Dutch conservation activist not guilty of assaulting a man in a dolphin-hunting town. The Wakayama District Court could not rule out the possibility that the Japanese alleged victim had given a false statement, Judge Satoshi Shibayama said. “There remains doubt over the credibility of the testimony, which is the only evidence” in the case, Kyodo News quoted the judge as saying. Erwin Vermeulen, 42, who is also a supporter of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, was indicted in December for allegedly shoving the man while trying to enter an off-limit area for the transfer of dolphins in the western Japan town of Taiji. Vermeulen's defense counsel had argued that it would have been physically impossible for the activist to push the alleged victim as his hands were full at the time, Kyodo reported. In a statement, the anti-whaling Sea Shepherd group described the verdict as “a huge victory for both the individual and the organization.” “(The) judge showed great courage in going against public opinion and ruling fairly,” Vermeulen said in another statement released by the group, which referred to the activist as a “Sea Shepherd Cove Guardian volunteer.” The tiny remote Japanese town drew international attention after 2009 US documentary The Cove featured its annual traditional dolphin hunt. The film won an Oscar for best documentary in 2010. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/Y7a3Q Tags: Activist, Dolphin, Dutch, Slaughter, Taiji Section: Animals, East Asia, Environment, Latest News
