Activist registered as passenger on whaling ship against his will, lawyer claims

An activist named Hólmsteinn Harðarson occupied the mast of the whaling ship Hval 9, refusing to disembark. The ship proceeded to Hvalfjörður, where Harðarson was eventually convinced to come down from the mast and was then transferred to a police vehicle.

It remains unclear whether Harðarson was officially registered as a crew member or a passenger. The Icelandic Transport Authority does not release such information due to privacy laws. However, his lawyer, Katrín Oddsdóttir, stated that if a complaint is filed, it will likely focus on whether Harðarson consented to his registration and if his safety was adequately ensured.

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It is absolutely clear that they knew he had no intention of being a passenger. Then this is just a sham registration of him as a passenger, because of course, you cannot deprive a person of their freedom and take them out to sea unless they are willing.

Oddsdóttir believes the proper procedure would have been to involve the police. She argues that registering Harðarson as a passenger without his consent constituted a "sham" and that he was essentially held against his will. "It is absolutely clear that they knew he had no intention of being a passenger," she said, adding that one cannot deprive someone of their freedom and take them out to sea without their willingness.

According to the Icelandic Transport Authority, ship captains are obligated to register anyone on board, whether crew, passenger, or other individual, provided the vessel has sufficient crew insurance. Harðarson was registered as a passenger. Oddsdóttir, however, maintains that simply refusing to leave the ship does not constitute consent for registration or departure.

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I would think that it would have to be completely clear that he was ready to depart.