Pegasus Research Consortium

Greenpeace - Tell Russia to Release Greenpeace Activists (https://secure3.convio.net/gpeace/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1479)


On September 18th, Greenpeace activists attempted to peacefully occupy an off-shore oil platform owned by Russian oil giant Gazprom. But when they arrived, the Russian Coast Guard fired warning shots and threatened the activists' lives.

Now, fifteen Russian Coast Guard officers have illegally boarded the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise via helicopter and are holding more than twenty Greenpeace activists on board under armed guard.??

We're mounting an international effort to get them back safely along with the release of the Greenpeace ship. And it starts with people around the world putting pressure on the Russian government.

Please join our activists in becoming an Arctic Defender. Sign our petition to Russia's US ambassador demanding Russia release the activists, the immediate withdrawal of the Russian Coast Guard from the Greenpeace ship, and an end to offshore oil drilling in the Arctic for good.

CLICK HERE to Send Message (https://secure3.convio.net/gpeace/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1479)

MESSAGE
Release Greenpeace Activists
Dear Ambassador Sergey Kislyak ,
I demand the urgent release of all Greenpeace activists, the immediate withdrawal of the Russian Coast Guard from the Greenpeace ship, and an end to offshore oil drilling in the Arctic for good.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]

Greenpeace ship boarded by Russia, 2 Canadians arrested - World - CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/greenpeace-ship-boarded-by-russia-2-canadians-arrested-1.1861081)

Paul Ruzycki of Port Colborne, Ont. and unidentified Montreal man among 25 activists under arrest
The Canadian Press Posted: Sep 19, 2013 4:43 PM ET Last Updated: Sep 20, 2013 10:51 PM ET

Two Canadian activists are among a group of 25 people who were being held at gunpoint aboard a Greenpeace ship, the environmental group said Thursday.

Arctic Campaign Co-ordinator Christy Ferguson said Paul Ruzycki of Port Colborne, Ont., and a man from Montreal whose name was not released were arrested when Russian coast guard officers boarded their vessel, which Greenpeace says was in international waters.

Ferguson said at least 15 members of the coast guard used helicopters and ropes to rappel on board the Arctic Sunrise, a Greenpeace ship carrying a crew bent on protesting offshore oil drilling in the Arctic.
The crew were being held in the ship's mess, she said, adding no injuries have been reported.


'This was a peaceful protest against reckless industrial activity.'
- Christy Ferguson, Greenpeace's arctic campaign co-ordinator


The incident took place Thursday as the ship was circling an oil platform in the Pechora Sea, an arm of the Barents Sea. The platform was owned by Gazprom, a Russian oil company.

Russia's Interfax news agency reported that the vessel was to be brought to the northern port of Murmansk following the search.

Interfax also quoted the Russian foreign ministry as saying the crew of the vessel took "provocative" actions and posed a threat to human life and the environment in the Arctic region.

"The note of protest that was given to the Dutch ambassador describes the actions of the crew of the Dutch-flagged vessel as provocative and says that they posed a threat to human life and the risk of an environmental catastrophe in the Arctic with unpredictable consequences," it said.

Ferguson decried the incident, saying Russian authorities had no jurisdiction over a ship that was sailing in international waters and no need to resort to threatening tactics.

"This was a peaceful protest against reckless industrial activity in the Arctic," Ferguson said in a telephone interview from Toronto.

"Russian authorities have responded with extreme aggression and force. They've pointed guns at people, they've pointed knives at people. They're arresting people and holding them without information in international waters."

Last month Greenpeace claimed the Russian coast guard had threatened to open fire on the Arctic Sunrise if, as planned, it entered the North Sea Route to protest Arctic oil exploration.

Greenpeace Activists Charged With Piracy in Russia - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwPgWaTiLdU)


Published on Oct 3, 2013
Five Greenpeace activists were taken away from a Murmansk court on Wednesday (October 2) after Russian authorities charged them with piracy over a protest at an Arctic oil drilling at a platform owned by state-controlled energy company Gazprom, the environmental group said.

The piracy charges are punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

The five who were charged include Brazilian crew member Ana Paula Alminhana, British freelance videographer Kieron Bryan, Russian activist Roman Dolgov, Finnish activist Sini Saarela, and Swedish/American activist Dmitry Litvinov.

They were among 30 arrested after the protest last month in which a Greenpeace icebreaker approached the Prirazlomnaya platform and two activists tried to scale it.


The Murmansk court last week ordered all 30 to be held in custody for two months pending further investigation, and charges against the other 25 were expected to be filed soon.

The environmental group says the protest was peaceful and posed no threat, and that piracy charges against the protesters have no merit in international or Russian law.

The Prirazlomnaya platform, Russia's first offshore oil rig in the Arctic and a crucial part of its efforts to tap energy resources in the region, is slated to start operating by the end of the year.

I don't know what is going to happen on this one but I think the Russians got them this time. I think international law states if you board another ship at sea without the captains permission it is considered an act of piracy. It is no different then some stranger entering your home in the states, you can shoot him and most likely get away if you kill them. I guess Grean peace was lucky no one died on their team. I feel for the team and hope Russia lets them go.........
Deuem