AN animal rights activist has spoken of her ordeal after being detained by the Japanese against her will.
Jessie Treverton, a leading member of welfare charity Sea Shepherd, was aiming to enter the country to document dolphin slaughter.
But the 49-year-old, who lives in Rose Hill Close, Brighton, was held for more than 24 hours by immigration officials at Osaka Kansai Airport who, she claims, were wary of her exposing the country's hunting practice.
She told The Argus: "It's not a pleasant experience. After a few hours I was pretty angry.
"I was thrown into a cell and then there were searches and questioning, and then I went back into the cell overnight."
Ms Treverton was subjected to further interrogation before being denied entry and put back on a plane home over the weekend.
The latest event follows Ms Treverton's efforts to fight whaling in the Faroe Islands, which last month ended with her going through the islands' courts. Her initial arrest was reported in The Argus in September 2014.
It was Ms Treverton's latest activities in the Faroe Islands that, she believes, alerted the Japanese to her return.
She added: "It's frustrating because I wanted to be out there.
"I think they have taken the action against me because the camera is our strongest tool and they want to stop us documenting the slaughter going on out there.
"By keeping us out of the country they are trying to silence us but it's not going to stop us."
Ms Treverton was previously documenting and defending dolphins in Taiji Cove, Japan, since September.
Sea Shepherd has said Ms Treverton will next attempt to sue the Immigration Bureau of Japan for falsely denying entry.
Robert Read of Sea Shepherd said: "This is blatant discrimination by the Japanese government against Jessie Treverton and all our law-abiding volunteers."
The charity added that the bureau had stated Ms Treverton had not provided enough proof of her activities in Japan, despite every step of its activities being monitored by Japanese police and coastguard officers.
Ms Treverton added: "My incarceration in Japan was negligible compared with the miserable lives in captivity or horrific deaths so many thousands of dolphins are subjected to.
"I am very happy to give up a few days’ liberty if it helps bring attention to this atrocity."
Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson said: "Jessie did not break any rules and was always polite. Despite her respectful conduct, and her rapport with the Japanese police, she was still denied entry.
"The policy in Japan appears to be that if any Sea Shepherd person witnesses the atrocities against the dolphins they will be denied future entry to the country."
The Argus asked for statements from both the Japanese embassy in London and the British Embassy in Japan but none were forthcoming.
ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST WHO WORKS AROUND THE WORLD
WHETHER it’s the coves of Japan or the shores of the Faroe Islands, Jessie Treverton is likely to be there.
The animal rights activist, as part of the Sea Shepherd group, was captaining the charity’s boat called Spitfire when she was stopped by Danish authorities.
The group had been working in the islands, an autonomous territory of the kingdom of Denmark about 200 miles northwest of Scotland, to try to stop the slaughter of pilot whales and other types of dolphin.
Ms Treverton, with two other women, was arrested in September 2014 after ushering a group of white-sided dolphins away from the islands to stop them being hunted. Known locally as “grindadrap”, the slaughter is defended by locals as part of their culture.
After two years of postponed hearings, Ms Treverton, who lives in Brighton, was convicted by a Danish court on animal cruelty charges of “harassment” on November 28.
Ms Treverton has welcomed paying a fine equivalent to about €740 and claimed the case sets a legal precedent because hunters on the islands could also be deemed to be harassing dolphins.
She said her work in the Faroe Islands meant the Japanese authorities were aware of her movements.
The Faroese authorities could not be reached for comment last night (December 12) but a representative has contacted The Argus this morning and a statement is expected to follow.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel