Greenpeace Arctic Sunrise ship case
On 18 September 2013,
The following day, on 19 September 2013, Russian authorities seized the Greenpeace ship the
The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal investigation, charging the activists initially with piracy and later with hooliganism.[citation needed]
Since the Arctic Sunrise had been flying the Dutch flag, the Netherlands filed a case at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS case 22) and obtained an order for the release of the crew and ship pending a final adjudication of the matter.[1][2]
In December 2013, despite having had ignored the ITLOS ruling, Russia released the crew anyway as part of a general amnesty adopted by the State Duma, after three months of detention. The Arctic Sunrise itself was released another six months later, in June 2014.[citation needed]
Background
On 11 August 2013, the Greenpeace ship
Prirazlomnaya protest, and seizure of the Arctic Sunrise and crew
On 18 September 2013, four
On 19 September 2013, the day after the Prirazlomnaya protest, the Russian authorities forcibly took control of the Arctic Sunrise, which was boarded from a helicopter by fifteen
The Arctic Sunrise was towed to the port of Murmansk. All of the 30 people on board were taken to a detention facility where they were brutally beaten and interrogated. In early October, the Leninsky District Court in Murmansk issued a warrant to arrest all 30 people.[15] 22 were put in custody for two months pending an investigation and the other eight were detained for three days pending a new hearing. They were under investigation for piracy, which in Russia carries a maximum jail sentence of 15 years.[6][16][17] On 23 October the charge of piracy was dropped and replaced by a charge for aggravated hooliganism with a maximum sentence of seven years.[18][19] After they were transferred to Saint Petersburg on 12 November,[15] the Kalininsky and Primorsky district courts released most of the people on bail,[citation needed] and the Murmansk Regional Court rejected an appeal against the arrests on 21 November.[20]
According to Phil Radford, executive director of Greenpeace in the United States at the time, the reaction of the Russian coast guard and courts had been the "stiffest response that Greenpeace has encountered from a government since the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in 1985."[21]
Detainees
The detainees were christened the "Arctic 30" by Greenpeace[22] and the press.[23][24][25] They included:
Crew by nationality
- US: Captain Peter Henry Willcox[17]
- Argentina: Second mate Miguel Hernán Pérez Orsi
- Australia: Radio operator Colin Russell
- Brazil: Deckhand Ana Paula Alminhana Maciel
- Canada: Bosun Alexandre Paul, first mate Paul D Ruzycki
- Denmark: Third mate Anne Mie Roer Jensen
- France: Deckhand Francesco Pisanu
- Italy: Deckhand Cristian D'Alessandro
- Netherlands: Chief engineer Mannes Ubels
- New Zealand: Boat mechanic Jonathan Beauchamp, electrician David John Haussmann
- Turkey: Volunteer assistant cook Gizem Akhan
- UK: Communications officer Alexandra Hazel Harris, 2nd engineer Iain Rogers
- Ukraine: Cook Ruslan Yakushev
Activists by nationality
- Argentina: Activist Camila Speziale
- Finland: Activist Sini Saarela
- Netherlands: Campaigner Faiza Oulahsen
- Poland: Activist Tomasz Dziemianczuk
- Russia: Spokesman Roman Dolgov, Dr Yekaterina Zaspa, press officer Andrei Allahverdov
- Sweden: Campaigner Dima Litvinov
- Switzerland: Activist Marco Weber
- UK: logistics co-ordinator Frank Hewetson, activist Anthony Perrett, activist Philip Ball
Non-activists and journalists by nationality
- UK: Videographer and journalist Kieron Bryan
- Russia: Photographer Denis Sinyakov
Responses
One of the jailed people was the award-winning Russian photographer Denis Sinyakov, whose jailing led to protests by the Russian Union of Journalists and the international group Reporters Without Borders.[6] According to Alexei Simonov, head of Glasnost Defense Foundation, a Moscow-based rights group, Sinyakov had only been covering the actions of Greenpeace activists in the Barents Sea and had nothing to do with the group's agenda:
"The authorities violated all norms and laws by keeping Sinyakov in prison ... I must say it again and again that Russian justice system is designed by the Kremlin not to look for real culprits to be punished but to punish and scare those who don't suit the authorities."[26]
Sinyakov posted on his Facebook account an image of a hooded Russian coast guardsman pointing a handgun at the boat. When the first two activists were detained, Sinyakov wrote:
"I call upon you to join the struggle for freeing these activists, who sincerely see Arctic exploration as malignant."[citation needed]
Sinyakov was subsequently detained.[
As flag state for the Arctic Sunrise, the Netherlands asked for immediate release of the ship and shipmates to Dutch authorities. The Dutch government argued that since the ship was outside Russian territorial waters and outside the 500-metre (1,600 ft) safety zone around the oil rig, it was in open sea, and hence outside Russian sovereign rights and jurisdiction. According to nautical law, any actions against a ship in open sea can only be conducted after agreement with the flag state. Hence, the Dutch took the position that the capture of the Arctic Sunrise by Russia had not been legal. After Russia did not release the ship, the Netherlands filed a formal case with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on 21 October 2013 to order Russia to release the Greenpeace ship and the activists who had been on board.[28]
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but said the Russian judicial process would need to run its course.[29]
Eleven Nobel prize-winners wrote to Vladimir Putin asking the Russian president to drop charges against the Greenpeace activists and journalists.[30]
Six men broke into the Greenpeace office in Murmansk and stole materials.[31][relevant?]
Legal cases against Russia
On 22 November 2013, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ruled that the campaigners and the ship should be immediately released, and should be allowed to leave the country, against a bail of 3.5 Million Euro.[32]
On 14 August 2015, the international
Greenpeace announcements
According to Greenpeace, charges of
Phil Radford, executive director of Greenpeace USA, argued that the arrest of the Arctic 30 had been the stiffest response that Greenpeace has encountered from a government since the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior by the French secret service in 1985.[21]
Greenpeace activists have continued to call for governments to save the arctic, the original motivation for the protest.[citation needed]
According to Dutch Greenpeace members, the condition of the Greenpeace ship worsened during its stay in Murmansk, as the Russian officials did not take proper care of the vessel.[37]
International reaction
11 Nobel peace laureates wrote to Putin, calling on him to drop the "excessive" charges of piracy:[38]
- South African Bishop Desmond Tutu
- Northern Irish peace campaigner Betty Williams
- Former President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias Sanchez
- US peace campaigner Jody Williams
- Liberian peace campaigner Leymah Gbowee
- Yemeni peace campaigner Tawakkol Karman
- Guatemalan social reformist Rigoberta Menchú Tum
- Northern Irish peace activist Mairead Maguire
- Iranian lawyer and former judge Shirin Ebadi
- Former President of East Timor Jose Ramos Horta
- Argentine community organiser Adolfo Perez Esquivel[37]<
German chancellor Angela Merkel expressed concerns about the arrest of the Greenpeace activists to Vladimir Putin, and urged a swift resolution of the case.[39]
William Hague, the foreign secretary UK, negotiated with Russian ministers over the fate of the six British nationals involved.[40]
According to Julia Marton-Lefèvre, the International Union for Conservation of Nature oil and gas exploring in the Arctic would have drastic consequences and the world should find low-carbon sources of energy.[40]
Damon Albarn of Blur showed a poster of Frank Hewetson during the band's concert in Santiago, Chile, on 7 November 2013, asking for him to be freed.[citation needed]
Dropping of charges under amnesty law
In December 2013, the 30 activists were all released from prison as part of a general amnesty, purportedly in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Russia's post-Soviet constitution.[41][42]
See also
- Arctic Refuge drilling controversy
- Climate change in the Arctic
- Green imperialism
- Save the Arctic, a Greenpeace campaign
- Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior
References
- ^ "International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea: 404 File not found". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ "The "Arctic Sunrise" case (Kingdom of the Netherlands v. Russian Federation) List of cases: No. 22" (PDF). International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. 22 November 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- ^ "Rawer, Daniel, Greenpeace, 12 August 2013". Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ^ "Russia shuts Greenpeace out of Arctic Sea route, stifles criticism of oil industry" Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Greenpeace, 21 August 2013.
- ^ Rashini Suriyaarachchi "Defending the Arctic even as Russia threatens to use force" Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Greenpeace, 26 August 2013.
- ^ a b c "Greenpeace Ship Sails to Arctic Kara Sea Despite Ban" Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine, RIA Novosti, 24 August 2013.
- ^ "Russians Force Greenpeace Ship to Leave Kara Sea" Archived 22 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Environment News Service, 26 August 2013.
- ^ "Greenpeace Storms Prirazlomnaya Platform in Arctic" Archived 30 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, The Moscow Times.
- ^ Arctic Sunrise Twitter feed Archived 7 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine, 18 September 2013 Twitter.
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- Scoop Independent News, 20 September 2013.
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- ^ Brown, Jonathan "Russia arrests 30 environmental activists during Arctic protest" Archived 6 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine, 20 September 2013 The Independent.
- ^ Wilson, Steve "Russia seizes Greenpeace ship after Arctic rig protest" Archived 14 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine, 20 September 2013 The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ ITAR-TASS. 11 November 2013. Archivedfrom the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ Vasilyeva, Nataliya. Associated Press, "Greenpeace To Appeal Activists’ Jailing In Russia", ABC News, 27 September 2013.
- ^ a b c "Greenpeace to appeal over activists held in Russia" Archived 25 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 27 September 2013.
- ^ "Следствием переквалифицированы действия нападавших на платформу "Приразломная"". Sledcom.ru. 23 October 2013. Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ^ Rosenberg, Steve (23 October 2013). "Russia drops piracy charges against Greenpeace group". BBC News. Archived from the original on 25 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ^ Murmansk court rejects appeal over arrest of ship Arctic Sunrise, Greenpeace, 21 November 2013, archived from the original on 23 November 2013, retrieved 23 November 2013
- ^ a b Lally, Kathy; Englund, Will (27 September 2013). "U.S. Greenpeace captain jailed in Russia". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ^ "Free the Arctic 30". Greenpeace International. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ Shaun Walker and James Meikle (20 November 2013). "Three Arctic 30 Britons freed on bail by Russian court". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ Steve Robson (22 November 2013). "Arctic 30: First British Greenpeace activist arrested in Russia given bail". The Mirror. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ Heather Saul (22 November 2013). "Greenpeace Arctic 30: Britons Anthony Perrett and Kieron Bryan are released on bail". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 22 November 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ^ Loiko, Sergei L. "Greenpeace activists, Moscow photographer placed under arrest" Archived 29 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Times, 26 September 2013.
- ^ "Russia frees Greenpeace activists on bail | News | al Jazeera". Archived from the original on 24 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ "Netherlands asks sea law tribunal to order Russia to release Greenpeace ship and activists". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 21 October 2013. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
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- ^ BBC: Nobel laureates urge Putin to free Greenpeace activists Archived 8 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine, 17 October 2013
- ^ Greenpeace: Murmanskin toimistoon murtauduttu Archived 19 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine yle 18 October 2013 (in Finnish)
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- ^ a b UK aims to become hub for Arctic oil exploration Archived 25 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine 17 October 2013 The Guardian
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