Some 60 people gathered in front of the Russian Embassy in Bratislava on Saturday to join an emergency day of solidarity protests around the world to demand the release of the 30-member crew from the Greenpeace's ship Arctic Sunrise which were imprisoned in Russia. The protest was supported by representatives of Greenpeace Slovakia and Amnesty International.
“People who attempt to protect the Arctic have been charged with piracy in the wake of their peaceful protests. We consider these charges to be outrageous and nothing else than an assault on the very principle of peaceful protest. Any claim of these activists being pirates is absurd. We believe that the only aim here is to intimidate and silence us,” said Greenpeace Slovakia Arctic campaign co-ordinator Maria Horska. For the moment, the whole 30-strong crew of Arctic Sunrise remain in custody. If found guilty of piracy, they might face a maximum jail sentence of 15 years. The appeal to release the crew has gathered increasing support from more than a million people around the world as well as from international organisations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, WWF, and a number of celebrities.
