Two New Zealanders are still among a crew of environmentalists being held under Russian armed guard, as Greenpeace activists prepare to stage protests outside Russian embassies around the world.
The activists were among the 30-strong crew of Greenpeace icebreaker Arctic Sunrise, which was boarded by armed Russian officers yesterday following a protest against oil drilling in Arctic waters.
The New Zealanders have not been named due to legal reasons, the environment protest group said today.
The agency said it would picket 20 Russian embassies today in protest against the action and the treatment of its members.
It said its activists had been denied access to legal or consular assistance, and the group had not been able to make contact with the ship for 24 hours.
The head of Greenpeace International's Arctic oil campaign, Ben Ayliffe, said the safety of the arrested members were a "top priority".
"They have done nothing to warrant this level of aggression and have been entirely peaceful throughout," he said.
"In our last phone call with the ship, the crew said that their spirit remains high and they have been boosted by messages of support from thousands of people who stand with them to oppose dangerous Arctic oil drilling."
The ship's captain has reportedly refused to operate the Arctic Sunrise, so a Coast Guard ship has started to tow the vessel to the port of Murmansk. The trip is expected to take three to four days.
Russian officials said that Greenpeace activists could face terrorism or piracy charges, the Associated Press reported.
One of the activists aboard the vessel, Faiza Oulahsen, told AP late on Thursday that about 15 armed men had boarded the Arctic Sunrise, aggressively herding 29 activists into one compartment. The vessel's captain was held separately on the bridge.
"They used violence against some of us, they were hitting people, kicking people down, pushing people," she said in a phone call from the ship.
Greenpeace said Russian media had reported senior officials on Gazprom's Prirazlomnaya oil platform described a Greenpeace safety pod used in the protest as "resembling a bomb".
The agency said the safety pod, which is designed to keep activists warm, is large, brightly coloured and covered in Greenpeace logos.
- Patrice Dougan of APNZ
