Greenpeace says new Russian charges "wildly disproportionate"

        
Greenpeace said on Wednesday that the lesser charge of hooliganism now faced by activists who had been charged with piracy in Russia over a protest against Arctic oil drilling was still "wildly disproportionate".          

"We will contest the trumped up charge of hooliganism as strongly as we contested the piracy allegations," Vladimir Chuprov of Greenpeace Russia said in a statement. "They are both fantasy charges that bear no relation to reality."

This comes as Russia has dropped piracy charges against 30 people involved in a Greenpeace protest over Arctic oil drilling, replacing them with lesser charges, the Itar-Tass news agency reported on Wednesday, citing federal investigators.            

Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said the charges against activists who protested at an oil platform last month had been changed from piracy, which carries a maximum jail sentence of 15 years, to hooliganism which has a lesser punishment, Itar-Tass reported.          


REUTERS