Saving the whales should NEVER be a crime
And yet two activists are in court now.
Once, they stood between harpoons and whales.
Now, they stand before a judge.
Yesterday, June 5th, 2025, in Reykjavík, Iceland, ocean defenders Anahita Babaei and Elissa Phillips faced their criminal charges in a court room for trying to do what their government refused to: stop the slaughter of endangered whales.
Their protest was peaceful. Their message was clear.
And yet, they were the ones in handcuffs.
Scroll down to see how you can help.
Compassion on trial: The case of Anahita and Elissa
In September 2023, Anahita and Elissa climbed the masts of the Icelandic whaling ships Hvalur 8 and Hvalur 9, chaining themselves to the crow’s nests in a non-violent action designed to prevent the ships from setting out on a hunting expedition targeting endangered fin whales, a species listed on the IUCN Red List.
They stayed up there for 33 hours, through wind and cold, risking their safety and their freedom.
They weren’t armed with harpoons. They didn’t come to harm anyone. They came to stop a crime.
Now, they’re on trial for it.
Context: Why they protested
Commercial whaling in Iceland was suspended in 2023 for two months following a government-commissioned report that concluded it violated animal welfare laws. Footage showed whales suffering prolonged deaths, some taking up to two hours to die after being harpooned. This sparked domestic and international outrage.
Despite this, Iceland’s government lifted the temporary suspension, allowing whaling operations by Hvalur hf., Iceland’s last remaining whaling company, to resume.
Hvalur targets fin whales, the second-largest animal on Earth, and an endangered species under international law, protected by multiple global agreements, including:
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
And classified as “vulnerable” to extinction by the IUCN
But Iceland, Japan, and Norway exploit loopholes and “reservations” to continue hunting. Iceland allows it domestically through a quota system, even when that violates its own stated animal welfare and conservation goals.
What Icelandic law says
Anahita and Elissa’s protest wasn’t just morally justified, it was legally grounded.
Under Icelandic law, the hunting of endangered species like fin whales is deeply questionable. Consider:
Icelandic Nature Conservation Act (Lög um náttúruvernd, No. 60/2013):
Article 3: “Wildlife shall be protected from unnecessary suffering and human interference.”
Article 6: “The aim of the Act is to promote the protection of biological diversity and endangered species.”
Animal Welfare Act (No. 55/2013):
Section 5: “Animals shall not be subjected to pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm unnecessarily.”
Section 13: “Killing of animals shall be conducted in a quick and painless manner.”
Whaling violates both. Video evidence shows prolonged suffering—harpoons missing vital organs, whales thrashing in agony.
Even Iceland’s Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST) admitted in 2023 that the current whaling methods breach national animal welfare laws.
So why are the whalers walking free while the protesters face jail?
Let this sink in:
Whaling ships that kill endangered animals are still operating.
Activists who tried to stop it peacefully are being prosecuted.
This is what happens when:
Profit speaks louder than science
Compassion becomes a criminal offense
Peaceful protest is punished more than ecological destruction
Anahita and Elissa stood for life.
They stood between a dying ocean and the silence of complicity.
Now they’re being told that defending the ocean is a crime.
They need our support now more than ever
They’re facing a massive fine. They could be sentenced to jail. All for stopping a harpoon, not firing one.
They are not the ones who should be on trial.
✊ We stand with Anahita.
✊ We stand with Elissa.
✊ We stand for the whales.
What you can do
Donate: Support them to cover legal costs.
Spread the word: Share this Sea Story. Tell their story.
Call it what it is: Criminalizing activism is not justice.
Hold Iceland accountable: Demand the permanent ban on commercial whaling be reinstated and enforced. Stay tuned for any upcoming petitions and campaigns, and be sure to keep sharing your thoughts about whaling across social media.
The ocean doesn’t need more silence.
It needs voices. It needs resistance. It needs more people like Anahita and Elissa.
Stand with the ones who stood for the whales.
Stand with the ones who made a difference.
Because saving a whale should never be a crime.