"Two activists and photographer to remain in jail after they, and 27 others, were arrested on ship approaching Arctic oil rig"
"A court in the Russian city of Murmansk has rejected bail appeals for two Greenpeace activists and a freelance photographer, keeping them confined in jail ahead of piracy trials.
The three are among 30 people of 18 different nationalities, including six from Britain, who have been charged with "piracy as part of an organised group" after being apprehended on board the Greenpeace ship, the Arctic Sunrise. Bail requests for the other 27 are expected to be heard this week.
The boat was seized by Russian coastguards last month as it approached the Prirazlomnaya oil rig, an offshore Arctic drilling platform operated by the state energy giant Gazprom. President Vladimir Putin said it was "completely obvious" that the environmentalists were not pirates, but Russia's Investigative Committee went ahead with the charges. If convicted, the activists face jail terms of 10 to 15 years."
Shaun Walker reports for the Guardian October 8, 2013.
