Russian Amnesty will free Arctic 30
Russian MPs have backed an amnesty law that may see the charges against Arctic 30 dropped allowing them to return home for Christmas.
If the amnesty bill passes at its final reading in the Russian Duma (parliament) tonight the 26 non-Russian members of the Arctic 30 will be able to leave Russia and return home.
Six Britons including three from Devon are among those arrested following a protest against a Gazprom oil-drilling platform in the arctic circle.
The amnesty law, backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, could also see the release of two members of Pussy Riot and at least 20,000 other Russian prisoners, including pregnant women, minors, invalids, veterans and mothers.
It is thought that the amnesty law being passed is an attempt to improve the international image of Russia ahead of the Sochi winter games.
The amnesty is also timed to mark the 20th anniversary of Russia's post-Soviet constitution.
Two members of Pussy Riot, Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, were already due for release in three months time but could see their release accelerated to as soon as next Thursday.
Pussy Riot, a punk band, were serving a sentence for hooliganism after performing an anti-Kremlin protest song Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in 2012.
The State Duma in Moscow unanimously approved the law at its third reading and it is expected to come into force within days.
Not all of Putin’s political prisoners will be covered by this amnesty however with, among others, opposition leader Alexei Navalny unlikely to have his suspended sentence for theft lifted.
The amnesty marks the 20th anniversary of Russia's post-Soviet constitution. It will take effect once it is published but the releases are expected to take place over six months.
Greenpeace have welcomed the charges being dropped but have said that they still have concerns for their Russian counterparts.
Brazilain Activist Ana Paula Maciel, from Brazil, said: “I’m relieved, but I’m not celebrating. I spent two months in jail for a crime I didn’t commit and faced criminal charges that were nothing less than absurd. But now at last it seems like this saga could soon be over and it may not be long before we’re back with our families.
“Right now my thoughts are with our Russian colleagues. If they accept this amnesty they will have criminal records in the country where they live, and all for something they didn’t do. All because we stood up for Arctic protection.”
The campaign to free the Arctic 30 has seen 860 protests in 46 countries and in more than 150 cities worldwide, while more than 2.6 million people wrote to Russian embassies.
Supporters included Sir Paul McCartney, Madonna, Jude Law, Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard, Ewan McGregor, Juliette Lewis, Ricky Martin, Edward Norton, Gael García Bernal, Ricardo Darín, Alejandro Sanz, Pedro Almodóvar and scores more famous names
