When the new charges against the environmental activists were known on Wednesday, several Russian bloggers wrote that it now will be easier for Russia to have the people convicted, since the charges on piracy obviously wouldn’t hold in court, while the charges on hooliganism have a much broader definition and can easier be applied in this case.
Greenpeace Norway agrees with much of what the bloggers say. Truls Gulowsen, Program manager in Greenpeace Norway says to BarentsObserver that they were never really afraid that the activists would be charged of piracy. “The charges were totally absurd and unjustified in regards to what really happened out at Prirazlomnaya.” But with the new charges, the situation has changed completely:
“Charges on hooliganism are a lot more subjective. Given a sufficiently hostile court, our people might be found guilty”, Gulowsen says. “The situation is more unpredictable than ever”, he adds.
He is afraid that the public now will believe the situation has calmed down since the threat of 15 years in jail is gone.
“We can accept charges on breaking the safety distance of the platform and are ready to take the consequences for this, but charges on hooliganism with a maximum jail sentence of seven years is totally out of proportions in relations to what was done out at Prirazlomnaya”,
The way the information about the new charges was made public is also questionable, Gulowsen says. The Federal Investigative Committee chose to inform the press first before informing Greenpeace’s lawyers. It took more than a day before Greenpeace’s lawyers were given the new charges, as the documents had to be approved in Moscow first.
The Federal Investigative Committee chose the same approach when it informed the press that they had found drugs on board the Greenpeace vessel “Arctic Sunrise”. What was never officially informed, was that this were drugs found in the safe of the sick bay, that no Dutch vessel is allowed to sail without, Gulowsen says.
