Please immediately release the 30 people currently detained in Russia following the boarding of the Greenpeace ship the Arctic Sunrise. The illegal boarding of the ship in international waters and subsequent hooliganism charges against its peaceful crew are unacceptable.
Right now, 28 of our activists, a photographer and a videographer are being held in custody by the Russian authorities. We urgently need your help to free them.
The Arctic Sunrise had been part of a peaceful protest against energy giant Gazprom, which is poised to drill for the first oil to come out of the icy waters of the Arctic.
Using a helicopter and ropes, armed Coast Guards illegally boarded the ship and held those on board under armed guard whilst they towed the ship to shore. Our team were then remanded for up to two months by a court in Murmansk.
The authorities said they needed time to investigate possible charges of piracy. On 23 October they changed those charges to hooliganism, which carries up to seven years in jail. This is a wildly disproportionate charge and is an assault on the right to peaceful protest.
The Arctic 30 have been in Russian prison for over one month now - please release them to their families without delay.
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