Greenpeace Protestors Face A Long Cold Winter In Russia
By Paul Homewood
http://barentsobserver.com/en/arctic/2013/11/greenpeace-activists-face-jail-extension-18-11
It looks like the Greenpeace protestors locked up in Russia will be there till at least February now.
Following their transfer from Murmansk to St Petersburg, Colin Russell is the first to have his case heard. The judge ruled that he should remain in jail until February 24th pending trial. From the Barents Observer:
Russia wants to extend the detention of the Greenpeace activists arrested over a protest against Arctic oil drilling in September. The 28 activists and two journalists have been jailed in Murmansk for two months and were transferred to pre-trail centers in St. Petersburg last week.
Australian activist Colin Russell was the first to have his case heard on Monday. The court’s ruling – the he should remain in jail until February 24 next year pending trial, suggests the others have little hope for release.
Six other defendants – four activists and two freelance journalists, also have hearings on Monday.
Lawyers for Greenpeace will now appeal the decision and apply for bail for the detainees. If bail were to be granted it could be subject to travel restrictions while the investigation continues.
Bail? Do they really think Russian judges are as soppy as some of ours?
It looks like they are finding out the hard way that countries such as Russia are not prepared to let protestors disrupt their activities for whatever reason.
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
Cunning move. If the 30 haven’t been found guilty of anything, then Putin can’t come under pressure to pardon them at Christmas. After all, Justice demands a fair trial.
He’ll probably let them out in the Spring, and take the credit for being merciful!
Let’s hope the Russian courts keep these troublemakers off the streets for more than three months.
It’s not their fault. They’ve been deluded by decades of Government complacency in the West. Replace them at once with Dave and Barry!
GPers have been deluded for longer than Dave and Barry have worn long pants. Put the cell keys in a 10-ton ice cube, and have them lick it to melt them out.
Oh dear.
I suppose that – in the spirit of Kyoto – the authorities won’t be able to turn on the heating very much this winter.
No doubt the ‘activists’ will keep warm with the knowledge that there’s no emissions given off on their behalf.
I just hope the Ruskies abide by one of G-P’s guiding principles,and don’t use evil nuclear or fossil fuels to heat their cells.
Back in the good ol’ days this sorry gang would have been denied rights to communicate along with at least a tenner and a free lesson in gold mining in Kolma sans hydrocarbons.
Putin must be going soft!
US agencies frequently operate through NGO’s to achieve national objectives and GP is now no more immune to being co-opted for State Department street theatre than Doctors without Borders or Amnesty International. Who wants to know how the Russians will respond to an apparent attack on a maritime oil rig? If GP was at all accountable to its environmental mission and donors, it would be exposing how it was duped into a Lee Harvey patsy role in mounting what was intended by its designers to look like a false flag terror attack on an important Russian installation. The Americans know now that a contractor feigning a GP banner hanging will be risking a no nonsense armed response. Imagine what would happen if a bunch of people in fast inflatables looking just like GP “activists” mounted a banner hanging on the Washington Navy Yard. Like covert contractors, mercenaries, and terrorists, GP sells its apparent activist services for cash and does not particularly care who is buying. It is inevitable that they will be exploited and apologize to the families for losing their dear loved-one in an action intended to test a secure installation.