Greenpeace International activists, from left: Philip Ball of the United Kingdom, Sini Saarela of Finland and Alexandra Harris of the United Kingdom show their passports with permission to leave Russia to journalists, near the Federal Migration Service in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Thursday. The trio is all smiles in what appears to be a overcast day with the wind blowing the women's hair. Two Canadians are among those freed.

Greenpeace International activists, from left: Philip Ball of the United Kingdom, Sini Saarela of Finland and Alexandra Harris of the United Kingdom show their passports with permission to leave Russia to journalists, near the Federal Migration Service in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Thursday. Two Canadians are among those freed.
Photo Credit: Associated Press / Dmitry Lovetsky

Greenpeace activists expected home soon

Two Canadians among a group of Greenpeace activists held in Russia should be back in the country in the next day or two.

Alexandre Paul of Montreal and Paul Ruzycki of Port Colborne, Ontario have been granted amnesty.

They were among 30 people arrested in September following a protest
outside a Russian oil rig in the Arctic and spent two months in jail before they were granted bail in November. Their ship was also seized.

Hooliganism charges against the activists were later dropped after Russia’s parliament passed an amnesty law that was seen as an attempt by the Kremlin to tamp down the criticism of Russia’s human rights record before the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February.

Greenpeace says 29 of the 30 activists, who are still in Russia after being freed on bail, will be free to leave for their home countries as soon as they secure exit visas, likely on Friday.

Greenpeace says one more activists case will be reviewed on Thursday.

Categories: Environment & Animal Life, International, Politics, Society
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