A PETITION signed by over 60,000 people demanding the release of non-violent climate activists was delivered to the Ministry of Justice today.

The petition, containing over 100 pages of signatures, demands “the immediate end to the imprisonment of brave, non-violent political prisoners, jailed for telling the truth and acting in resistance to continued extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal.”

It was delivered to Britain’s Attorney General Richard Hermer KC, and accompanied by a letter from campaign group Defend Our Juries, renewing calls for a public meeting to discuss the government’s violations of international law.

The petition comes after UN Special Rapporteur Michel Forst warned that lengthy multi-year sentences handed to peaceful Just Stop Oil activists are “not acceptable in a democracy.”

Two months ago, the activists were sentenced to a combined 21 years in prison for organising a peaceful protest over a Zoom call. 

After witnessing the case of one of the activists, Daniel Shaw, Mr Forst  sent a letter warning Britain that it may be violating its obligations under the Aarhus Convention, in penalising individuals for seeking their right to engage in peaceful environmental protest.

The Defend Our Juries letter warns that if demands for a public meeting are not met, actions will escalate, starting with a public exhibition on political prisoners, set to take place outside Southwark Crown Court on September 27.

The petition has been signed from individuals from all walks of life, including farmers, teachers, artists, scientists and construction workers.