Tutu has spoken out both locally and internationally about the need to release the Arctic 30 and to stop oil drilling in the fragile environment of the icy Arctic.
He sent a personal letter to the Russian Ambassador to South Africa, saying
"I add my voice to the many others calling for the immediate release of all detainees, as well as the Greenpeace International ship Arctic Sunrise. I urge your government to seriously consider Greenpeace's plea – made in the interests of all people across the world, including citizens of Russia – to ban oil drilling in the icy waters of the Arctic."
And when it comes to the issue of drilling for oil in the Arctic, said:
"This is not just an Arctic or a Russian issue. The impacts of global warming will be most keenly felt in the developing world, in relatively poor countries where the people will be unable to afford to mitigate the impacts of the change on their lives. I applaud Greenpeace for bringing the issue of the exploitation of Arctic resources to the attention of the world."
The Archbishop also co-signed a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with ten other Nobel Peace Prize winners, asking for the immediate release of the Arctic 30. Read the letter.
As South Africans, we have a rich history of civil protest in the face of injustice. We know the value of freedom of speech and how easily it can be taken away – which is why we can't let injustice like this go on. We have a duty to protect the values our parents, grandparents, and fellow citizens fought for.
We are incredibly honoured that Archbishop Tutu has joined the call to free these brave people and draw attention to reckless oil drilling in the Arctic.
Read the full letter sent to the Russian ambassador to South Africa below.
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Ambassador of Russia to South Africa
PO Box 36034
Pretoria
0102
16 October 2013
Dear Mr Petrakov
The detention of Greenpeace activists
I write to you with regard to the group of Greenpeace activists and freelance journalists – collectively known as the Arctic 30 – who have been detained in Russia after a protest against plans to drill for oil in the Arctic.
Greenpeace has a proud record of engaging in critical and courageous actions to highlight areas where human greed and recklessness are at odds with the sustainability of the earth we share.
As global warming causes Arctic ice to vanish at unprecedented rates, oil companies are venturing into ever more northerly waters, prospecting for more of the fossil fuels that are the cause of the melt in the first place. The consequences of an oil spill in these fragile seas, home to rare animals and vital to the livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples that have lived here for millennia, would be catastrophic. The threat the Arctic faces demands that urgent action is taken to protect it.
This is not just an Arctic or a Russian issue. The impacts of global warming will be most keenly felt in the developing world, in relatively poor countries where the people will be unable to afford to mitigate the impacts of the change on their lives. I applaud Greenpeace for bringing the issue of the exploitation of Arctic resources to the attention of the world.
I add my voice to the many others calling for the immediate release of all detainees, as well as the Greenpeace International ship Arctic Sunrise. I urge your government to seriously consider Greenpeace's plea – made in the interests of all people across the world, including citizens of Russia – to ban oil drilling in the icy waters of the Arctic.
God bless you.
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu