Russian authorities have described Greenpeace activists jailed at the weekend for piracy as a ‘real threat’ – after the environmental group insisted it would appeal their detention.
A total of 30 activists from the Arctic Sunrise have been detained by authorities in Murmansk for the next two months after Greenpeace tried to board Gazprom’s Prirazlomnaya platform earlier this month.
All thirty, who range from locations around the world – including from the UK – have been denied bail, sparking an international campaign calling for their freedom.
But today Russian authorities hit back, saying they were looking to establish the precise role played by each of the activists in what it described as an ‘attack’ on the Barents Sea platform.
“At the moment the picture looks as follows: a group of persons aboard the Arctic Sunrise carrying a large number of instruments the purpose of which has not been identified so far violated the 500-meter safety zone of Prirazlomnaya platform and approached it,” a spokesman for Russia’s investigative committee said.
“The investigation regards all these actions as a real threat to the safety of the personnel on the platform and the property there and also as an act of resistance to law enforcement officers.”
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Equipment and documents from the ship have been seized as investigations continue into the incident, with charges expected to be brought once the committee has completed its probe.
If charged with piracy, the activists would face up to 15 years in jail.
The final activists to be detained learned their fate last night, with the environmental group condemning the decision to jail them all.
“There is absolutely no justification for any charge of piracy, or the decision to deny bail,” said international executive director Kumi Naidoo.
“Our peaceful activists and the two freelancers are being locked away for bringing international scrutiny to Gazprom’s risky Arctic drilling programme. This is a naked attempt to intimidate anyone who opposes the Arctic oil rush and it will not stand.
“Our ship was boarded in breach of international law, and these detentions are similarly invalid. Over half a million people have now sent letters to Russian embassies and the solidarity is building with each passing hour. We will not stop until the Arctic 30 are freed and can return home to be with their families.”