Ah, but what's in a word? Russia charges two Greenpeace activists with piracy

The alleged "pirate" ship. © Will Rose / Greenpeace

Well, it's a lesser charge than terrorism, I suppose, as Russia charges two activists with piracy:

Russian investigators on Wednesday formally charged two of 30 detained Greenpeace campaigners for piracy over an open-sea protest against Arctic oil drilling, an activist said.

"The first two activists have been charged with piracy," Mikhail Kreindlin, a representative of Greenpeace, told AFP. "These activists are from Brazil and Britain."

He did not provide further details. Piracy by an organised group carries a punishment of between 10 and 15 years.

I suspect there is time off for good behavior. Maybe.

Greenpeace throws itself on the mercy of the world court of opinion here:

Responding to the news, Greenpeace International executive director Kumi Naidoo said: “A charge of piracy is being laid against men and women whose only crime is to be possessed of a conscience. This is an outrage and represents nothing less than an assault on the very principle of peaceful protest. Any claim that these activists are pirates is as absurd as it is abominable. It is utterly irrational, it is designed to intimidate and silence us, but we will not be cowed.

One person's peaceful protest is another person's . . .

Putin says: Greenpeace activists "lawbreakers" "not pirates"

Greenpeace photo

The Times of India reports "Greenpeace activists 'not pirates' but broke law: Putin":

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that 30 Greenpeace activists arrested in Russia over their open-sea protest in the Arctic were not "pirates" but they did break the law.
***
"Our law enforcement agencies, our border guards did not know who was trying to seize the platform under the guise of Greenpeace," he said.

He added that the siege of a shopping centre in Kenya heightened fears.

"And against the background of the bloody events that happened in Kenya, anything could happen after all," he said.

The Greenpeace incident happened before the Kenyan siege began, however.

Putin apparently reserves reserves the right to be concerned in an alternate time line in which the Kenya thing happened first.

In any event, this appears to be setting up  hand slaps for the "activists" should this incident go to trial.

Eco-Pirates? "Russia to Investigate Seized Greenpeace Ship for Piracy"

Greenpeace photo

Russia to Investigate Seized Greenpeace Ship for Piracy:

Russian authorities said Friday that a seized Greenpeace icebreaker was being towed from the Arctic Pechora Sea to the port of Murmansk, where it will be investigated for “piracy” over its alleged attack on a Gazprom oil rig.

The Arctic Sunrise icebreaker “is being towed because the captain refused to steer it,” a spokeswoman for the Murmansk Region branch of the border guard service told RIA Novosti. The ship is expected to arrive in Murmansk by Monday or Tuesday, she said.
***
Two activists who had traveled to the Gazprom oil rig aboard the Arctic Sunrise were detained by border guards on Wednesday for trying to climb up the facility. A day later, border guards stormed the ship and took control of it, Greenpeace said, adding that the seizure was done at gunpoint.

The border guards believe that the attempt to scale the oil rig “bore signs of piracy,” Russia’s Investigative Committee said Friday, adding that it would be handling the check into the allegations.

Piracy is punishable with up to 15 years in prison, according to Russian legislation.

From the UN discussing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

The definition of the crime of piracy is contained in article 101 of UNCLOS, which reads as follows:

''Piracy consists of any of the following acts:
(a) any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed:

(i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft;
(ii) against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State;
(b) any act of voluntary participation in the operation of a ship or of an aircraft with knowledge of facts making it a pirate ship or aircraft;
(c) any act of inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described in subparagraph (a) or (b).''

See my earlier post on this Greenpeace misadventure here.

Piracy? Attempted piracy?

Simple trespassing?

I am glad I am not the Greenpeace defense counsel.