Five Found Innocent of the "Despicable" Crime of Observing the Murder of Seals in Canada

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Sea Shepherd News
10/17/2008

Five Found Innocent of the “Despicable” Crime of Observing the Murder of Seals in Canada

Today, Quebec Provincial Court Judge Jean-Paul Décoste declared the defendants in the case of five seal-hunt observers innocent. This verdict has been anticipated by The Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society International since the case first began in October 2007.

The defendants – Canadians Rebecca Aldworth and Andrew Plumbly, Americans Chad Sisneros and Pierre Grzybowski, and British citizen Mark Glover – are all representatives of the Humane Society of the United States or members of the media.

“The evidence showed without a doubt that my clients were innocent and I thank Judge Décoste for seeing through the Crown's illogical arguments to the contrary and finding them innocent,” said Clayton Ruby, the lawyer for the accused.

In March of 2006, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Officer Jean-Francois Sylvestre charged the five defendants with violating a condition of their observation licenses which requires they remain at least 10-metres from sealing activity. The defendants were in the Gulf of St. Lawrence documenting the commercial seal hunt to bring to the world the shocking images of baby seals being clubbed, shot and even being skinned alive.

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