14 DAY TRIAL // Greenpeace is happy to announce that the Russian Parliament, otherwise known as the Duma, has agreed to amend an amnesty proposal in such way that the Arctic 30 would also benefit from it.
The amnesty in question is intended to clear people accused or found guilty of hooliganism in Russia.
In its previous form, the amnesty targeted only individuals who had already been found guilty of hooliganism and people who were to be trialed and given their sentence within six months after the official pardon was issued.
As reported just days ago, Greenpeace's Arctic 30 falls in neither of these two categories. Hence, the organization feared that the 28 activists and the 2 journalists that were arrested following a protest against Gazprom might still be trialed and sent to prison.
Now that the amnesty's text has been amended, the environmentalists have high chances to be cleared of all charges, and might even be allowed to return home.
“The Duma today voted for an amendment that extends an amnesty decree to defendants who have been charged with hooliganism. It therefore includes the Arctic 30 - the 28 activists and two freelance journalists who were arrested following a peaceful protest at a Gazprom-operated Arctic oil platform three months ago today,” Greenpeace writes in a press release issued this December 18.
“There will be a final vote at 4pm Moscow time, but the only way the Arctic 30 would be removed from the amnesty is if the entire bill is rejected – an outcome regarded as extremely unlikely,” it adds.
The organization stresses that, although they will accept this official pardon, the environmentalists involved in the protest against Gazprom's plans to drill in the Arctic are not in any way admitting that they are guilty of the charges filed against them by authorities in Russia.
On the contrary, the activists merely want the legal proceedings against them to come to an end.
Greenpeace says that, once the amnesty comes into effect, all that the Arctic 30 will need in order to be able to return to their home will be exit visas. However, it is currently unclear when Russian authorities will agree to issue these exit visas.