Legal victory for Greenpeace: eleven activists acquitted for blocking methane tanker in Valencia

According to the ruling issued by the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community, the protest did not involve "acts of violence or intimidation sufficient to seriously disturb the public peace," which is required to constitute a criminal public disorder offence.

The verdict marks a major legal victory for the environmental organisation. Prosecutors had initially sought five years' imprisonment per defendant before reducing their demand to two years and six months during final trial submissions.

Defense counsel had requested full acquittal, pointing out that nearly five years had elapsed between the protest and the trial.

The ruling followed a marathon trial session in Valencia attended by UN special rapporteurs and supporters of the defendants, who hail from eight different countries, including four Spanish nationals.

The protest occurred on 26 October 2021, when Greenpeace’s flagship vessel Esperanza approached the Port of Sagunto. Four inflatable boats deployed from the ship approached the merchant vessel Merchant, which was transporting 125,000 cubic metres of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States, and spray-painted "No More Gas" onto its hull.

During the intervention, one activist chained himself to an anchor using a bicycle lock, forcing the cargo ship to abort its docking manoeuvre and remain at anchor outside the harbour.

The Merchant finally docked at 11:35pm and completed its offloading operations late the following evening.

Throughout the trial, all eleven defendants maintained that the action was a peaceful exercise of their right to protest, carried out without violence or intent to cause harm or confront law enforcement officers.

Sergiy, the captain of the Greenpeace vessel, testified that the action was designed strictly to draw government attention to environmental policies while ensuring maritime safety standards were upheld at all times.

Activist Ernesto, who chained himself to the anchor, described his interactions with Guardia Civil officers as "cordial."

Court authorities noted that the ruling remains subject to potential appeal by prosecutors before higher regional courts.