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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Greenpeace protest: UN court orders Russia to free ship | Greenpeace protest: UN court orders Russia to free ship |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A UN maritime tribunal has ordered Russia to free a Greenpeace vessel and 30 people detained after an oil drilling protest in the Arctic. | A UN maritime tribunal has ordered Russia to free a Greenpeace vessel and 30 people detained after an oil drilling protest in the Arctic. |
| The court in the German city of Hamburg said a bond of 3.6 million euros ($5m) should be posted. | The court in the German city of Hamburg said a bond of 3.6 million euros ($5m) should be posted. |
| But a Russian statement issued after the ruling said the Hamburg tribunal had no jurisdiction in the case. | |
| The Arctic Sunrise and its crew were detained two months ago. All but one of those held have now been granted bail. | |
| An Australian activist, radio operator Colin Russell, remains in custody in St Petersburg; Greenpeace is to appeal against his detention next week. | |
| The ship's captain, veteran American activist Peter Willcox, was among those freed on Friday. Eleven others were released earlier in the week. | |
| Greenpeace said all those released had been moved to an undisclosed location in St Petersburg. | |
| They were originally held in a jail in Murmansk where some activists had complained of being cold and of poor conditions. | |
| It is still unclear whether they will now be allowed to leave Russia. | |
| 'Violating international law' | |
| The Arctic Sunrise was sailing under a Dutch flag when it was stopped and searched on 18 September. | |
| Thirty people - 28 activists and two journalists - were detained. | |
| The Dutch authorities, who brought the case, argued that Russia had violated international law by failing to respect the freedom of navigation. | The Dutch authorities, who brought the case, argued that Russia had violated international law by failing to respect the freedom of navigation. |
| The Greenpeace activists were staging a protest against Arctic oil drilling at a Russian fixed gas platform. | The Greenpeace activists were staging a protest against Arctic oil drilling at a Russian fixed gas platform. |
| Initially they were charged with piracy, but the charges were later reduced to hooliganism. | Initially they were charged with piracy, but the charges were later reduced to hooliganism. |
| Russia argues it was entitled to make the arrests because it claims the activists were breaking Russian laws. | Russia argues it was entitled to make the arrests because it claims the activists were breaking Russian laws. |
| The Hamburg tribunal is an independent, international judicial body which adjudicates in disputes over the interpretation and application of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. | The Hamburg tribunal is an independent, international judicial body which adjudicates in disputes over the interpretation and application of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. |
| It is made up of 21 elected members. | It is made up of 21 elected members. |
| The Russian Foreign Ministry said it would study the tribunal's ruling. | |
| Unforgettable experience | |
| The other 17 detainees to leave prison or to be granted bail on Friday were: | |
| One of them, Anthony Perrett, told the BBC via Skype after he was freed that it was "certainly an experience I won't forget in a hurry." | |
| "I'm feeling very good, very glad to be out of prison and raring to get back to work [in forestry]. | |
| "At the moment things are a little bit uncertain so I'll be staying in St Petersburg for the foreseeable future." |