Greenpeace Activists Reclassified by Russian Courts: Not Pirates – Just Hooligans

H/T to Roger Andrews for spotting this BBC article about the imprisoned Greenpeace Activists awaiting trial in Murmansk:

Russia has dropped piracy charges against 30 Greenpeace activists, replacing them with hooliganism charges, according to officials.

The new charge has a maximum penalty of seven years rather than 15, Russian news website Lenta reports.

The Arctic Sunrise was seized more than four weeks ago by Russian security forces after activists tried to scale an offshore oil platform.

All 30 people on board – including two freelance journalists – were detained.

So far all bail applications in the case have been refused.

Vladimir Markin, the head of Russia’s main investigating agency the Investigative Committee, told Russian news agencies that the charges had been reclassified.

Mr Putin said last month that the activists had violated international law but it was “absolutely evident that they are, of course, not pirates”.

Greenpeace Russian programme director, Ivan Blokov, told Russia’s Interfax news agency that there was no case for either piracy or hooliganism charges.

“There are no signs of hooliganism – no violence, no threat of using violence or any damage to property,” he said.

Full story here