{"id":18119,"date":"2018-07-12T13:00:24","date_gmt":"2018-07-12T11:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/?p=18119"},"modified":"2023-06-27T12:47:16","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T10:47:16","slug":"arctic-30-jailed-in-russia-argue-their-case-in-european-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/story\/18119\/arctic-30-jailed-in-russia-argue-their-case-in-european-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Arctic 30 jailed in Russia argue their case in European Court"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The \u2018Arctic 30\u2019 – the twenty-eight Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists who spent two months in Russian jail in 2013 – are finally having their day in court: on 12 July 2018, they lodged their arguments<\/a> in the European Court of Human Rights, which is considering their case, <\/span>Bryan and Others v. Russia<\/span><\/i><\/a>, lodged in March 2014.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The Arctic 30 travelled to the Russian Arctic on board the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise in September 2013 to stage a peaceful protest against Gazprom’s plans to start oil production at <\/span>Prirazlomnaya<\/span><\/a> – the first offshore rig built in ice-covered Arctic waters.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The authorities responded to the protests by <\/span>dispatching commandos to seize the Greenpeace ship<\/span><\/a> in international waters and towing it to Murmansk, where the Arctic 30 were remanded in custody for two months. They were eventually <\/span>released on bail<\/span><\/a> and later granted amnesty.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"Armed
Russian security services abseil from a helicopter onto the deck of the Arctic Sunrise (19 September, 2013)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

After regaining their freedom, the Arctic 30 <\/span>filed their complaints<\/span><\/a> with the European Court in Strasbourg, arguing they had been detained unlawfully and their right to freedom of expression had been breached. The Government of the Netherlands also filed a case of its own before another international tribunal, asserting that the seizure of the Arctic Sunrise – which flies the Dutch flag – and those on board had breached the rights of the Netherlands under the international law of the sea.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The Dutch Government <\/span>won its case in July of 2017, providing a measure of symbolic justice to the Arctic 30<\/span><\/a>. However, the question whether their own individual rights were violated remains unanswered, and they have not received any compensation. In December of 2017, the European Court (which has a very heavy case-load) finally took up their case, setting deadlines for both sides to present their arguments. The Arctic 30 have now submitted their response<\/a> to the Russian Government’s defence, and have asked for a hearing to be scheduled. They have also received some <\/span>welcome third-party backing from ARTICLE 19 and the Media Legal Defence Initiative,<\/span><\/a> two NGOs that defend the right to freedom of expression and submitted compelling arguments to the Court.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

No date has been set for a decision in the case. <\/span><\/p>\n\n

Daniel Simons is a Legal Counsel (Communications) at Greenpeace International<\/span>
<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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