Arctic 30 return from Russia
Five British members of the Arctic 30 are to return from Russia today after three months of imprisonment.
Three of those returning- Kieron Bryan, Iain Rogers and Alex Harris- are originally from Devon and were granted amnesty alongside several prominent political prisoners including members of the band Pussy Riot.
Before departing Alex Harris, 27, a communications officer for Greenpeace said: “We’re leaving Russia, it’s over, we’re finally truly free.
“It feels like the moment I’ve been waiting for, and my family too, but also for millions of people around the world who have worked for this, and I simply cannot find the words to say how grateful and humbled I am by their support.
“People I will never meet have campaigned for our release, they wrote emails, they marched, they protested, they made a noise that became deafening, even in the Kremlin. I promise I will repay those people by using my freedom to stand up for the Arctic.”
the Minister for Europe, David Lidington welcomed the news, he said: "I am delighted that the British Nationals have been allowed to return to their families and friends. This is a welcome step from the Russian Government. We have provided consular support throughout the case and my Ministerial colleagues and I have repeatedly called for a fair and proportionate conclusion.
"I am also pleased that two members of Pussy Riot and a number of the Bolotnaya protestors have been released.
"Whilst this move is welcome, issues of concern remain with the Russian judicial system. The British Government continues to call on the Russian authorities to strengthen the rule of law, tackle corruption and promote independence of the judiciary."
The first of the 30- Swedish Activist Dima Litvinov- left Russia yesterday evening taking a train across the border to Finland.
Before taking his seat on the train, he said: “I’ve never regretted what we did, not once, not in prison and definitely not now. Sometimes you just have to stand up and ask to be counted, and that’s what we did in the Arctic.
“They didn’t throw us in jail for what we did, they locked us up because of what we stood for.
The Arctic oil companies are scared of dissent, and they should be. They may have celebrated when our ship was seized, but our imprisonment has been a disaster for them. The movement to save the Arctic is marching now. Our freedom is the start of something, not the end. This is only the beginning.”
The 30 were originally arrested for piracy following a protest against a Gazprom oil drilling platform in the Arctic Circle.
The charges were later changed to the lesser charge of hooliganism and they would have faced trial in the New Year before being released under the new amnesty law.
Many commentators have speculated that the amnesty move was designed to improve international opinion on Russia’s human rights ahead of the Sochi Winter Games.
Several world leaders including US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have announced that they will not be attending the Winter Games joining French President Francois Hollande as well as the leaders of Canada, Belgium, Lithuania, Moldova and Georgia.
Prime Minister, David Cameron has also indicated that he will not attend the games but has said that the decision is not a boycott of the games arguing that engagement in the games would be more effective.
Russia has also been heavily criticised by the international community for its laws against “homosexual propaganda” which has seen Gay Pride events officially banned for over 100 years by court order.
There is also a rising number of hate crimes aimed against gay people in Russia and a quality of life report by Ilga-Europe finding Russia the hardest place for gay people to live out of 49 European states.
