14 DAY TRIAL // The Greenpeace activists, the British journalist and the videographer arrested by authorities in Russia towards the end of September were moved to a detention center in St. Petersburg this Monday.
Until now, the environmentalists were kept at a detention facility in the city of Murmansk, about 1,080 kilometers (650 miles) from St. Petersburg.
The transfer began surprisingly early in the morning, at about 5:00 a.m. local time. It appears that the activists were to reach their new “home” by train.
“The transport of the Arctic 30 away from Murmansk started at around 5:00am local time today. Greenpeace International understands the move is taking place by prisoner train,” Greenpeace writes on its official website.
“Lawyers for the thirty who tried to visit them in Murmansk this morning were told by officials at the detention center that all thirty were already being transported,” the organization goes on to detail.
According to The Moscow News, the Greenpeace activists and the journalists were moved to St. Petersburg not because Russia wanted to make sure that they benefited from better detention conditions, but because the body investigating their case is based in this city.
“We don’t yet know if the relocation of these wrongfully accused people will see an improvement in terms of their detention conditions and basic human rights,” campaigner Ben Ayliffe with Greenpeace International stresses.
The same source details that, despite the fact that they were charged with piracy shortly after being arrested, the Greenpeace activists, the journalist and the videographer are now to be trialed for hooliganism.
Should they be found guilty, they risk being made to spend about 7 years behind bars.
As reported on several occasions, the environmentalists were arrested in the aftermath of a protest against oil company Gazprom and its plans to drill in the Arctic. Greenpeace maintains that the protest was a peaceful one, and that Russia had no business arresting the activists.