Breaking – Arctic Sunrise seized by Russian Authorities – Greenpeace

At least 15 armed Russian Coast Guards have just illegally boarded and taken over our ship the Arctic Sunrise.

They immediately seized every crew member except three people who locked themselves inside the radio room as the guards tried to break in. We had a satellite phone link to them and they were speaking to international media, trying to stay there for as long as they could.

As far as we know, everyone else is being held under armed guard.

Please send an urgent email to the Russian Ambassador in London and demand the Russian Coast Guard release our crew immediately.

The ship had been part of a peaceful protest against energy giant Gazprom which is poised to drill for the first oil to come out of the icy waters of the Arctic.Yesterday there were guns pointed at the protesters, shots fired and two other crew members were arrested as they protested Gazprom’s Arctic drilling.

The Arctic Sunrise was circling Gazprom’s Prirazlomnaya platform inside international waters and outside the jurisdiction of Russian authorities, making the boarding of the ship unlawful.

Your support – right now – will make a difference to how these protesters are treated, with the eyes of the world on them they won’t be able to act with impunity. They are taking incredible risks and you can stand up for them.

I’ll let you know as soon as I hear more.

Ian

Update

Thank you for emailing the Russian Ambassador. So far, over 145,000 people have sent emails to embassies around the world.

It has been 24 hours since the Arctic Sunrise was illegally boarded by Russian agents and details at the moment are sketchy. My colleague Frank on board was able to make one last phone call late last night before all their communications equipment was shut down, he told me:

“About 10 commandos armed with rifles, handguns and knives, boarded by a soviet era helicopter. They pushed us aside and ordered us to lie flat out on the deck. They then smashed their way onto the bridge. Our engines have been turned off and they have isolated the captain Pete Wilcox. We have no idea what is happening.”

There has been no official statement from the Russian government as to why the Arctic Sunrise was stormed. But it’s becoming clear that the security forces were acting in the interests of Gazprom. The crew have been totally cut off with no access to lawyers, no contact with the outside world, and all this in international waters.

We need to keep up the pressure to get our activists released. Share this with your friends and ask them to send an email to the Russian Ambassador as well.

If you’re on Twitter, please tweet your message of support using the hashtag #FreeTheArctic30.

The real threat to the safety of the Arctic is not from our activists, but from a reckless oil company so desperate for profit that it is willing to risk the pristine Arctic. We’re defending our right to peaceful protest. This is what our movement is all about.

Let’s keep the pressure up,

Ian and the Arctic team