Greenpeace Spain demands release of its director

Greenpeace Spain Tuesday delivered a petition backed by 50.000 people to the Danish embassy in Madrid demanding the release of its director.

MADRID, December 29, 2009 (AFP) - Greenpeace Spain Tuesday delivered a petition backed by 50.000 people to the Danish embassy in Madrid demanding the release of its director and three others who were arrested at the UN climate summit.

"Politicians who let slip the opportunity to save the climate in Copenhagen are in their homes while environmentalists who denounced the lack of summit commitments ... remain in jail without even seeing their families," the coordinator of Greenpeace Spain campaigns, Maria Jose Caballero, said in a statement.

The director of Greenpeace Spain, Juan Lopez de Uralde, and Nora Norwegian Christiasen fooled security staff at the Danish parliament in Copenhagen by drawing up to a December 17 gala dinner of the UN climate conference in a limousine and wearing evening attire.

There, they unfurled banners reading "Politicians Talk, Leaders Act" at the entrance.

Another Greenpeace protester, 37-year-old Swiss national Christian Schmutz Leinhart, who possession as their Bodyguard, was also arrested. The fourth suspect, a Dutch Greenpeace activist, Joris Thijssen, arrested was the next day.

Police charged them with illegally entering property and state police using false number plates, and a court ordered them to remain in custody until January 7th

"Greenpeace is waiting to know what will happen after that date," the organization said in a statement.

It said the four are being held "without trial" with "letters and visits restricted."

Caballero and Uralde's wife, Koro Castellanos, delivered a petition to the Danish embassy in Madrid calling for their release.

Greenpeace said the appeal was backed 50.000 people - around 30.000 on its website more and 20.000 through social networking sites.

"Denmark is a country where the right to bail until the conclusion of the trial is guaranteed, specifically if the act has not the possession of any threat and has been peaceful," the petition said.

Greenpeace Spain last week condemned the "extreme, unfair and disproportionate" treatment of the four by Danish authorities.