Greenpeace boat Britons denied bail in Russia
Two British citizens arrested after a Russian raid on a Greenpeace ship will remain in pre-trial detention in a Russian prison after being refused bail.
Appeals for bail were denied today for Britons Phil Ball and Kieron Bryan at the regional court of Murmansk.
28 Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists were arrested when their ship, the Arctic Sunrise, approached an oil platform owned by Gazprom. They are facing up to 15 years in jail.
Kieron Bryan is a video journalist who was contracted by Greenpeace to record the protest. A campaign for his release has been backed by journalists from the Times.
Greenpeace does not think it is above the law, but those campaigners are not pirates. Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace executive director
A website launched in defence of the journalist states: “Deprivation of liberty is more serious than Arctic drilling.”
He is quoted as telling the court that he did not have journalist accreditation for the trip but intended to sell his footage upon return from the Arctic.
Speaking in court, his lawyer Mikhail Leonov declared; “If we arrest every journalist who covers various events, except for National Geographic and Discovery journalists, then we risk to lose our constitutional right to information.”
Piracy charges
The other Briton, Phil Ball, is also a registered journalist. He is one of the 28 Greenpeace activists facing charges of piracy.
Three activists and a freelance Russian photographer were refused bail earlier this week and further bail applications will be heard next week.
The European Federation of Journalists and International Federation of Journalists have called for the immediate release of both Kieron Bryan and Phil Ball, as well as the freelance Russian photographer Denis Sinyakov.
They are there not because of what they did but because of what they represent. Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace executive director
Greenpeace executive director Kumi Naidoo claimed the “30 brave men and women” are in jail on “trumped-up charges”.
“They are there not because of what they did but because of what they represent. They are there not because of Russian law but because they made a stand against vested interests,” he stated.
“Greenpeace does not think it is above the law, but those campaigners are not pirates – even President Putin says so. And every day they remain behind bars is an affront to the basic principles of justice.”
Russian reaction
Investigators have claimed more charges will be pressed against some activists after drugs and other suspect items were found on the boat, Greenpeace denies there were illegal items aboard.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the activists were not pirates but they had violated international law.
The head of the Kremlin’s advisory body on human rights said he would ask prosecutors to withdraw piracy charges.
