On 18th September, the Greenpeace ship, Arctic Sunrise, approached a Gazprom oil drilling platform off the Russian coast to engage in a peaceful protest against Arctic oil drilling. Then, Russian coast guard officers seized the ship and detained the entire crew plus 2 freelance journalists at gunpoint. They have now been in jail for two months and face the absurd charge of hooliganism, which carries a maximum jail sentence of 7 years.
Take this opportunity to show the power of global solidarity and peaceful protests, and not to be intimidated by the powerful!
Major oil companies, like Shell and Gazprom, are simply trying to push their profit-making agendas at the cost of our fragile planet, and we will do just about ANYTHING peacefully to stop them.
The Indian tradition nurtures us with the values of nonviolence and justice. All that the Greenpeace crew was doing was defending the Arctic for the rest of the world.
Demand the immediate release of all activists, our ship, and an end to offshore oil drilling in the Arctic for good!
Dear Mr. Ambassador,
I am writing to you with a request for your attention and action.
As you may know, 28 Greenpeace activists (as well as a freelance photographer and a freelance videographer) took part in a peaceful protest at Gazprom's drilling platform Prirazlomnaya on September 18th.
Two of the activists tried to climb the side of the platform and attempted to stage a safe, peaceful protest. More than 24 hours later, Russian security services descended from a helicopter onto the deck of the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, seized the ship at gunpoint and detained the crew. This took place outside Russia's territorial waters.
These activists and freelancers are now being held in detention centers in and around Murmansk. I am very concerned by the response of Russian authorities. The charge of hooliganism, which carries a maximum 7 year jail sentence, is disproportionate. Yet this is the charges our activists face.
You have an important voice in this matter. Please use your position to promote fairness and reason.
The crew of the Arctic Sunrise were protesting at the Prirazalomnaya for purely unselfish reasons. As the ice is retreating, oil companies are moving north to drill for the fuels that are causing the ice to melt. The Arctic 30 were acting out of a deeply held conviction that this is a risky enterprise, when an oil spill would be catastrophic for the entire region. They should not be charged with such a serious crime as hooliganism for taking peaceful, safe action to protest the dangerous industrialization of the Arctic.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Nobel peace prize winner Adolfo Pérez Esquivel have joined hundreds of thousands of people across the globe calling for the release of the Arctic 30.
I am writing to add my voice.
I am asking for your help.
[Your comments here]
Please join me in calling for:
Hooliganism charges to be dropped and the immediate release of the 28 activists and two freelancers who have been detained by Russian authorities in Murmansk.
A commitment that the activists and freelancers will have access to full legal representation of their own choice, as well as consular services, translators, and human rights inspectors.
An investigation into the destructive and secretive activities of oil companies in the Arctic, and a ban on offshore oil drilling in the region.
I urge you to relay these requests to the Russian government in Moscow immediately. Please join me in calling for the swift release of the Arctic 30.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name here]