Peruvian president upset Greenpeace activists left country uncharged

LIMA, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Ollanta Humala, the president of Peru, is upset that Greenpeace activists were allowed to leave the country before charges could be brought against them for trespassing on and damaging the ancient Nazca Lines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of a protest stunt.

Last week, at least 20 environmental activists hiked into the high desert that hosts some 70 ancient zoomorphic geoglyphs. Just below the beak of a massive hummingbird design, the protesters laid down bright green letters, spelling out the message: "Time for Change! The Future is Renewable."

Leaders in Peru claim the stunt left lasting damage and promised to pursue legal action against those involved. But on Monday, a local court denied the government's attempt to detain and hold those involved. The activists have since left the country, Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace's director, confirmed. Naidoo and his organization apologized for the blunder last week, and today he met with President Humala to discuss options for remedying the damage.

Not long after the meeting, Peru's culture minister took the airwaves to further denounce the activists' actions. "The damage is irreparable and apologies offered by the environmental group are not enough," Alvarez-Calderon said during a press conference.

"I hope the judiciary takes the necessary action and the attorney general's office too," Humala added. "It's regrettable they didn't allow us to take steps to stop them leaving the country."

It's not clear whether Peru will continue pursue charges against the more than 20 activists implicated in the incident.

A number of environmental groups were present in Peru last week to lobby world leaders for an international plan to stem climate change. The UN held its latest climate summit in Lima. The meeting concluded Sunday with what many are calling a watered-down agreement.