The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that the 2013 seizure and detention of Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise ship and its 30 crew members by Russian special forces was unlawful.
“More than ever, environmental groups are being targeted around the world for speaking out against environmental crimes. This ruling shows that governments cannot act with impunity against groups like Greenpeace, and against civil society,” said Emma Gibson, Head of Program for Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
The Greenpeace activists, including Australian crew member Colin Russell, were arrested a day after they protested against Arctic oil drilling at the Prirazlomnaya oil platform, operated by state-owned company Gazprom. The protest took place well outside Russia’s territorial waters.
“Russia is not the only country where environmentalists are being intimidated. Here at home, we are seeing a sustained attack on environment groups by the Abbott government.
“The government is trying to weaken environmental protection laws and is also holding an inquiry into the tax deductible status of environmental groups. This erosion of our democratic rights is all being done in support of the vested interests of the fossil fuel industry, and must not be allowed to take place.
“The right to peaceful protest is part of any democratic society. Thousands of Australians support Greenpeace, and it is our duty to represent their concerns about the damage being done to our environment, and this includes using the right to peaceful protest," said Ms Gibson.