The activists who attacked the Waihopai satellite communications base near Blenheim believe their actions were excusable.

A jury in the Wellington District Court found peace activists Adrian Leason, Father Peter Murnane and Sam Land, from the group Ploughshares, not guilty on charges of burglary and willful damage after they admitted causing $1 million of damage to a protective dome-shaped satellite cover in April 2008.

The jury took two hours to reach its verdict.

The men argued their case on the grounds that they were driven to disable the base and stop the flow of information, by a belief that the dish caused human suffering because it was used for sending and receiving satellite communications. Legal experts say the belief in such a defence does not have to be correct.

Mr Leason says that disabling the base, even if it was for a short period of time, ultimately saved lives in Iraq. He says if someone breaks a property law while trying to protect human beings, the law can be overlooked. He admits what they did was not right but claims it is excusable because of the higher good that was achieved.