Arctic 30 to be moved by Russian authorities

The Arctic 30 who were arrested after a Greenpeace protest off the Russian coast are going to be moved.

Lawyers for the 28 activists and two journalists were only informed when visiting them on Monday.

Six Britons including three people with ties to Devon are among those facing charges of hooliganism for their part in the oil drilling demonstration in September.

They were previously held in Murmansk but it is suspected they will be moved to another jail in St. Petersburg.

There are concerns that  moving to the jail the conditions the activists and journalists are under worsen due to overcrowding.

Lawyers for 30 people detained in Russia following a Greenpeace protest in the Arctic have said they are being moved.

Greenpeace has maintained calls to release its activists -who come from 18 countries - and its vessel the Arctic Sunrise.

The Britons being held are journalist Kieron Bryan, 29, from London, activist Philip Ball, of Oxfordshire, logistics co-ordinator Frank Hewetson from London, activist Anthony Perrett from Newport in south Wales, communications officer Alexandra Harris, originally from Devon and 2nd engineer Iain Rogers, from Exeter.

They were held when Russian security sources stormed the ship following the demonstration.

The Russian government has said the protest posed a threat to personnel and environmental safety by disturbing the work at the platform. The case will be processed in line with Russian law, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev recently told a press conference