01:00Russia: Greenpeace spokesman calls sentences ridiculous
Russia: Greenpeace spokesman calls sentences ridiculous
A court in the Russian city of Murmansk handed down a series of pre-trial custody orders on Wednesday to Greenpeace activists who were part of an attempted boarding action on a Gazprom drilling platform in the Arctic sea.
Greenpeace International spokesman Dimitry Litvinov, who will be held in custody for three days pending a second hearing, said: "To accuse us of piracy or violent crime is ridiculous, we're a completely non-violent organisation. The protest, that we have actually announced in advance, which was going to be peaceful, non-violent, and in service actually of the whole humanity and certainly the Russian Federation. It was a shock. It's a shock that this is the reaction we are getting."
The activists that were on the Dutch-registered ship may face charges which could see them sentenced with up to 15 years in prison and fined up to 500,000 roubles ($15,500, €11,500).
Speaking at the Arctic Forum in Salekhard on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Arctic Sunrise activists are "no pirates" but that they violated international law by boarding the Prirazlomnaya oil rig in the Pechora Sea.
01:00Russia: Greenpeace spokesman calls sentences ridiculous
A court in the Russian city of Murmansk handed down a series of pre-trial custody orders on Wednesday to Greenpeace activists who were part of an attempted boarding action on a Gazprom drilling platform in the Arctic sea.
Greenpeace International spokesman Dimitry Litvinov, who will be held in custody for three days pending a second hearing, said: "To accuse us of piracy or violent crime is ridiculous, we're a completely non-violent organisation. The protest, that we have actually announced in advance, which was going to be peaceful, non-violent, and in service actually of the whole humanity and certainly the Russian Federation. It was a shock. It's a shock that this is the reaction we are getting."
The activists that were on the Dutch-registered ship may face charges which could see them sentenced with up to 15 years in prison and fined up to 500,000 roubles ($15,500, €11,500).
Speaking at the Arctic Forum in Salekhard on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Arctic Sunrise activists are "no pirates" but that they violated international law by boarding the Prirazlomnaya oil rig in the Pechora Sea.