Arctic 30 Journalist from Devon in court

Update: Kieron Bryan's hearing has been postponed until Wednesday 20 November

Fellow freelance journalist Denis Sinyakov, a Russian national has been released on bail.

Before the judge Mr Sinyakov said: Sinyakov: "prosecution witnesses show I was photographing the event. Investigators consider photojournalism a crime?" (translated from Russian)

The hearing for Brazilian Greenpeace activist Ana Paula Alminhana Maciel has been postponed to tomorrow 11.00am

.............................................

A Journalist from Devon held as part of the Arctic 30 is to appear in a Russian court today to seek bail before facing charges for hooliganism.

The 29  year-old freelance videographer, Kieron Bryan is among 7 of the 30 in court today as the original detention period for the defendants will run out on Sunday (24 November).

Russian prosecutors are seeking extensions to the detention period of the Arctic 30 with the first extension already granted after Colin Russell, 30, an Australian Greenpeace activist who will remain in a Russian jail for a further three months before facing trial.

Before being told he must remain in prison, Mr Russell told the judge: “I haven't done anything wrong. I don't understand the reasons why I've been detained. I've done two months hard time for nothing. I've done nothing wrong.”

Reacting to the news, Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo said: “The authorities say they need three months more to investigate an imaginary offence over which they have no jurisdiction.

“They say they need to keep those brave men and women in jail until February so they can probe a crime that simply did not happen. This case is now a circus. Our friends may now be in jail for months longer, all because they made a stand for all of us in the pristine Arctic.

“We will continue to pursue every legal avenue we can, and leave no stone unturned, until each and every one of them is home with their families. We hope the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea will order their release when they adjudicate on Friday.”

Russian doctor Yekaterina Zaspa, who acted as medical crew aboard Greenpeace ship the Arctic Sunrise was bailed this morning but will still appear in court to face the hooliganism charge.

Six of the Arctic 30 are British, with three coming from Devon. They are: Kieron Bryan who is in court later today, Alex Harris who works in Greenpeace communications and Iain Rogers the Greenpeace ship engineer. Harris and Rogers will appear in court later in the week.

Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw has said that the UK government must consider boycotting the Sochi Winter Olympic games in Russia.

Mr Bradshaw also criticised the approach of the Government and Prime Minister David Cameron.

Mr Bradshaw said: “The softly, softly approach adopted by David Cameron does not appear to be working.

“It's time that the UK and other Government's with hostages (and that is the right word) in Russia make clear to Putin that there will be consequences from their further detention."

Earlier this month Mr Cameron said that he had made his concerns clear to Russian president Vladimir Putin and raised the government’s views that the 30 are protestors rather than hooligans.

In a statement, the UK Government has said that they will continue to use their diplomatic influence “to make sure the Russian authorities understood the importance we attached to resolving this.”

The statement also stressed that: “The UK has good, constructive relations with Russia and part of this involves raising issues when there are differences.”

Barnstaple Town Councillor with the South West Green Party, Ricky Knight said: “The UK government has been sadly ineffectual in challenging Putin and the Russian authorities, despite six British nationals being involved. They seem to be adopting a ‘softly, softly’ approach of careful diplomacy. We feel certain that the six families would prefer a more robust political response.

“We call upon Hague and Cameron to ‘up the ante’ far more vociferously – or are they secretly rubbing their hands with glee that the Russians have done what many of them would have liked to have done? Perhaps with the Winter Olympics approaching, this could be the perfect political bargaining chip.”

The Arctic 30 were arrested by Russian officials on September  18 after a protest against a Gazprom oil drilling platform in the Arctic Circle.

28 Greenpeace activists and 2 freelance journalists were arrested both during the protest and when Greenpeace ship the Arctic Sunrise was seized.

They were originally held on suspicion of piracy but have been charged with the lesser offense of hooliganism, which carries a maximum prison term of 7 years.