Strong reaction needed in support of the jailed Greenpeace activists in Russia
21.10.2013
Question for written answer P-012007-13
to the Commission
Rule 117
Dan Jørgensen (S&D)
As the Commission will know, no less than 30 Greenpeace activists are currently imprisoned in Russia following a non-violent demonstration at the Prirazlomnaya oil platform.
The intentions of the Greenpeace protesters were clearly and demonstrably non-violent. They had no desire to achieve anything other than gain media coverage for an issue of grave international environmental concern. The situation is best summed up by the statement made by one of the jailed activists, the Danish national Anne Mie Roer Jensen, during a preliminary hearing in Murmansk:
‘This was not a violent attack but a non-violent demonstration. We did not use weapons, we are peaceful. We want to save the Arctic, and we are here to spread the word. Near the platform, we ensured that our equipment was safe. In contrast, the officers who detained us were using firearms’.
The actions of the Greenpeace activists can therefore in no way, shape, or form be construed as an act of piracy.
Recognising and applauding the efforts of the competent authorities in the Member States whose citizens have been jailed by the Russian authorities, I pose the following questions to the Commission:
- 1.What action has the Commission taken to assist the jailed activists and to secure their speedy release?
- 2.How does the Commission intend to become involved in order to achieve an expeditious resolution to this deplorable situation?
- 3.Has the Commission offered to assist the authorities of the Member States whose citizens have been jailed?
OJ C 216, 09/07/2014