Russian Seizure of Greenpeace Ship Challenged at UN Court

[Purveyor]

Source: Bloomberg

Russia must release a Greenpeace ship and 30 crew members who risk as long as seven years in jail on hooliganism charges for protesting drilling in the Arctic, the Netherlands told an international tribunal.

The Dutch-flagged Arctic Sunrise and the activists must be allowed to return home, Liesbeth Lijnzaad, an aide to the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the judges at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg today. An interim order is needed to safeguard their rights of liberty and security, she said.

“They have been held for almost six weeks now,” said Lijnzaad, adding that Russian arguments to keep them are “evidently unfounded.”

Russia has faced protests around the world since it detained members of the icebreaker’s crew for their role in a Greenpeace campaign against Arctic drilling in September and charged them with piracy, which is punishable by as long as 15 years in prison. Russian authorities later said they would downgrade the charges to hooliganism which carries a sentence of up to seven years. Greenpeace has said that Russia still hasn’t formally dropped the piracy charge.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-06/dutch-urge-release-of-greenpeace-crew-in-court-clash-with-russia.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. I think you may find that Russia doesn't recognise the court

in exactly the same way that the US doesn't recognise the ICC.

[okaawhatever]

2. Putin does not like to be challenged. It will be interesting to see what he will do. He has a lot of

bad press lately, he may let this one go. I hope so.

[bananas]

4. Putin already said "it's completely obvious they aren't pirates."

Putin, speaking at a forum on Arctic affairs, said that "it's completely obvious they aren't pirates." He added, however, that the officers "didn't know who was trying to seize the platform under the guise of Greenpeace.

"Especially in view of the events in Kenya, really, anything can happen," he said — referring to the deadly mall attack in Nairobi.

It was unclear whether Putin's comments might foreshadow leniency for the activists, who could face 10-15 years in prison if convicted of piracy. But Vladimir Chuprov, head of the energy department at Greenpeace Russia, welcomed the remarks as an invitation to settle the matter amicably.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014602716

[truedelphi]

3. Long before Al Gore knew anything at all about the environment -

And back when he was voting FOR the biggest pesticide manufacturers in the world to put their products on the market despite little in terms of real studies confirming their safety, GreenPeace was there. (Circa early 1990's.)

Greenpeace activists sponsored work on the shrinking ozone. They collected articles and reports from Chilean scientists regarding the collapse of the ozone layer, the many glaciers melting in the ocean around Antarctica. They publicized those early warnings.

You name it - Greenpeace was there.

Here's hoping these current day heroes are released.

[Socialistlemur]

5. The Dutch case is weak from a legal standpoint

The Greenpeace ship doesn't have a right of free passage within 500 meters of an existing oil facility. This is the law. Beause the vessel launched boarders, they clearly breached the 500 meter boundary. Therefore they are subject to Russian law. Proportionality can be decided by the court after studying precedent in nations such as Norway, Israel, India, Brazil and the USA, where laws prescribe punishment for close approaches with intent to board by force. This set of nations are a good sample of UN members with democratic governments.

Whether the Russians send a legal team or not, the Dutch sure look on weak ground.

[Alamuti Lotus]

6. I don't think the challenge has a leg to stand on, really

Even by the best spin control possible, the ship and its crew clearly intended to board and disrupt the operations of the Arctic rig to deliver a message. That message is probably valid, and should be delivered and considered by all relevant parties, but the activists must know that such actions have consequences. The charge of piracy is grandstanding on the part of the Russian authorities, and the hooliganism downgrade doesn't describe the activities either: industrial sabotage might be more accurate.

I suppose I have difficulty getting beyond the fact that "hooligan" is such a damn goofy word that I cannot take it seriously in any context (English newspapers are the worst at this with regards to small crime and wild teens, etc), but I digress...