Valencia, Spain - The trial of 11 Greenpeace activists began today in Valencia with Spain's Public Prosecutor seeking one of the harshest punishments ever in Europe for peaceful environmental protest. The authorities' attempt to sentence these activists to five years in prison for a 2021 non-violent protest is part of a global trend of intensifying attempts to silence activism and shrink civic space.
In October 2021, the 11 activists blocked a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US for 12 hours at Valencia's Port of Sagunto, calling for an immediate transition to renewable energy and warning against dependence on foreign gas imports.[1]
Gina Romero, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, said: "The attempt to punish the Sagunto activists for exercising their rights is not an isolated incident. Across Europe and beyond, I am seeing peaceful environmental defenders met with disproportionate criminal charges, legal abuse, and prison sentences that bear no relation to the nature of their actions. History shows that civil disobedience and peaceful protest do not threaten the rule of law, rather, they are an essential driver of progress for democratic freedoms and rights. States have an obligation to protect, not punish, those who exercise them."
The case has drawn concern from Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders, who wrote to the Spanish government that he is "particularly troubled by the significant criminal sentences sought by the prosecution."[2] Forst and Amnesty International have announced they will attend the trial as observers. Ahead of the trial, Greenpeace Spain activists unveiled a giant, 530 square metre eye on the roof of Valencia's Hemisfèric building with banners that read "The world is watching" and "Activism is not a crime."
Francisco del Pozo, one of the accused Greenpeace activists, said: "Being a climate activist in Spain today means standing up to defeatism: no more doing nothing while the climate collapses amid unstoppable wildfires, devastating floods, and extreme heat and drought. It also means bearing the brunt of a brutal backlash from the powerful, living for years with the anxiety of unjust charges and the constant threat of disproportionate prison sentences. I hope this trial will deliver rulings that favour peaceful activism, which is only going to become more necessary."
What makes the disproportionate penalty requested by the prosecution even more unprecedented is that the maximum sentence for the alleged offense of public disorder was three and a half years in 2021, when the action took place. It was only raised to five years by a later reform, which prosecutors are applying retroactively.
Inés Díez, Legal Department Head for Greenpeace Spain, said: "International human rights law requires states to respect and protect the right to take part in peaceful civil disobedience, regardless of whether it takes place in open or closed public or private spaces. The conduct of the Sagunto 11 falls squarely within that scope. The Greenpeace activists should never have been subjected to a criminal process over action protected by these rights. No activist should have to put their life on hold for five years waiting for a court to decide their future."
