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Dutch to take legal action over Greenpeace arrests

The Dutch government said that it would take Russia to an international court to secure the release of the Arctic Sunrise and its crew

The Dutch government said yesterday that it would take Russia to an international court to secure the release of Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise and 30 crew members who are being held on piracy charges.

The ship, 28 activists and two journalists were seized by Russia on September 28 as they peacefully protested against state oil company Gazprom's bid to drill in the Arctic.

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said: "I feel responsible for the ship and its crew because it's a ship that sails under the Dutch flag."

He said he would file an arbitration suit at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, adding: "I don't understand why this could be thought to have anything to do with piracy. I don't see how you could think of any legal grounds for that."

Greenpeace denies any wrongdoing in the peaceful protest and praised the Netherlands for its action.

Group general counsel Jasper Teulings said legal experts had "uniformly" described the piracy allegations as "baseless."

He pointed out that even Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted last week: "It is absolutely evident that they are, of course, not pirates."

Mr Teulings said: "Our ship was illegally detained in international waters following a peaceful protest against Arctic oil drilling.

"We hope that other states, especially the countries whose nationals are among the detained, will support the Netherlands in this commendable initiative."

The piracy charges carry a maximum 15-year jail term.

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