Russia Arrests Greenpeace Activists

Russian coast guards have arrested 25 environmental activists campaigning on behalf of Greenpeace in the Barents Sea.

The arrests were made on Thursday, as reported by Russia Today. The activists were protesting against the energy giant Gazprom, which is all set for drill for the first oil to come out of the icy Arctic.

Notified via email, Greenpeace supporters/subscribers were informed by the environmental activism organization that their vessel – The Arctic Sunrise – was “circling Gazprom’s Prirazlomnaya platform inside international waters and outside the jurisdiction of Russian authorities”, this making the boarding of the ship by Russian guards illegal.

According to the email, 15 armed Russian Coast Guards arrested all the people on board the vessel except three persons who locked themselves inside the radio room.

The notification was ensued this morning by a follow-up email from Greenpeace telling that the activists are still being held under armed guard on board The Arctic Sunrise. An online page Free Our Activists has been launched by the organization to let supporters demand the Russian Ambassador in London, UK, for the release of the peaceful protesters immediately.