Russia 'finds drugs' on Greenpeace ship, new charges loom
Source: AFP
Moscow Russian investigators said Wednesday several of the 30 Greenpeace activists already charged with piracy over an open-sea protest were set to face new charges for "other grave crimes" after finding drugs on their ship.
The environmental group vehemently denied the charge that their vessel, the Arctic Sunrise, had carried illegal drugs, calling the allegation a "smear."
The Investigative Committee said the authorities had found "narcotic substances" on the Dutch-flagged Arctic Sunrise detained by Russia after 30 Greenpeace activists from 18 countries staged a protest against Arctic oil drilling last month.
They added that some of the equipment on the vessel was of "dual purpose" and "could have been used not just for ecological purposes."
Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hSc8XL1OiIDckZtNsDzfcnIdnNAA?docId=13b20597-c966-4802-be74-696a3d41fe3a
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)happyslug
(14,779 posts)Poppy straw is used to produce opium. Painkiller morphine is subject to strict rules in Russia on how it must be stored by medics.
Could be planted, but also could have been taken on board by one of the crew members and the rest did not know about it. The problem is, if it is the case that just one of them had the opiates on board, that is enough even in the US to charge all of the members of the crew. The burden is on the rest of the members of the Crew to show they did not know, and thus we come to the question "How do you prove a negative?". How do you prove you did not know that the drugs were on board.
A third alternative is the drugs were part of the Ship's medical kit, kept in the safe. The problem may be that Russia does NOT permit ships in its waters to have such drugs, even if kept for emergency medical purposes. This would again make possession of the drugs illegal under Russian law.
Just a comment that these drugs may NOT have been planted, but while legal on a Dutch Ship on the high seas, illegal if that ship enters the waters of the Russian Republic which it did when the incident occurred and the ship was taken over by Russian forces.
joshcryer
(62,276 posts)There may be some on board who would refuse to take morphine for pain killing but would accept a poppy tea.
Either way Russia is just trying to think of more charges than simply trespassing (which they would get a slap on the wrist and deportation for).
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)It sounds to me like they've already been convicted despite the fact that they weren't even in Russia at the time. They were dragged ashore by the Russians. What's next accusing some of them of being gay?
joshcryer
(62,276 posts)They're trying to think up charges to send a message.
Trespassing isn't a big deal. Couple months at most. Then deportation. They're likely halfway through that sentence. Once the charges come down they probably walk. Russia can't have that.
Technically the platform was Russian property, so climbing on it, they are under Russian laws, but the worst they could get, technically speaking, is trespassing. They knew that going into it. They knew what they were going to be jailed for. They probably had nightly meetings about what the repercussions would be. The activists aren't stupid. But Russia wants to pin something more on them to make them "feel it." In this case it would be a drug charge. (The initial terrorist charge even Putin dismissed as silly, mind you, but that's what they were originally suspected of and detained for.)
Turborama
(22,109 posts)They were initially charged with piracy, and I think that charge still hasn't been dropped.
Why I'm not sure about the piracy charge being dropped is because I found a really interesting article earlier about the motives behind Putin saying it obviously wasn't piracy. I'm on my phone now and will find and share it when I get back on my laptop...
joshcryer
(62,276 posts)you are right it was piracy, not terrorism
they know the piracy charge won't stick though
Turborama
(22,109 posts)I think you'll find this an interesting take...
Putin's War on Greenpeace
08 October 2013
=snip=
President Vladimir Putin has stepped forward to play the "good cop" by disputing the official findings of the investigators. "Of course, it is quite obvious that they are not pirates, but formally they were trying to capture the platform, and our law enforcement agencies could not be certain exactly who might have been trying to seize the platform under the guise of Greenpeace," Putin said. That statement led some to believe that the severity of the charges would be reduced and the environmentalists simply fined and released.
However, I would not hurry to interpret Putin's words as a clear signal to law enforcement bodies that they should cease and desist. Putin has repeatedly emphasized that he cannot put pressure on investigators or the courts, saying that in Russia both are independent bodies. Of course, that does not mean they are independent in the Western understanding of the word. But by taking that position, the authorities can distance themselves from events and retain the ability to later step in if necessary as the savior or liberator of the activists. Maintaining a safe distance also enables leaders to avoid responsibility for any "excesses" committed by the siloviki, especially considering that Russia's machinery of repression has become a steamroller without any brakes.
=snip=
Not only did Kremlin administration head Sergei Ivanov recently speak contemptuously of Greenpeace in an interview, but the Russian leadership as a whole sincerely believes that members of the organization are paid to "carry out the orders" of Russia's enemies in this case, its rivals for the natural resources of the Arctic. Convinced that they are correct in this assumption, the Russian authorities are prepared to push the case much further than is supposed by those who think the environmentalists will get a slap on the hand and an easy release after two weeks in detention.
Full article: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/putins-war-on-greenpeace/487539.html
politicat
(9,808 posts)I did a few direct actions in the early 90s against a proposed tire manufacturing/recycling site. Just a small, local civil disobedience, but before we went to the site, we thoroughly searched each other's stuff so when we were arrested, our only possible charge would be obstruction of traffic.
Greenpeace is passionate, but they're not stupid.
I smell a plant.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)columnist for the Guardian, and a filmmaker in Germany.
If only they could shed some light on this!! Maybe question The Shirtless One?
You comment will either be ignored or shat upon. Wanted you to know you made me laugh and I seriously approve of your comment.
jmowreader
(50,562 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)grantcart
(53,061 posts)Russia as they are invaded by these chemical weapons from the West.
Some are still here. Certainly it will ring a bell for someone.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Benton D Struckcheon
(2,347 posts)LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)That's the Russians for ya...
Bullshit!
FailureToCommunicate
(14,020 posts)Aspirin as well as bottles and bottles of Dramamine!
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Howdy Partner
(2 posts)First they lied about the rebels being responsible for chemical weapons attacks, now this.
gopiscrap
(23,765 posts)Wolf Frankula
(3,601 posts)Uncertain if they would find any, they brought their own.
Wolf
NickB79
(19,258 posts)And yes, I do believe a shipload of Greenpeace activists at sea for weeks at a time would have at least a few joints stashed away somewhere.
And the "dual-purpose" equipment? Probably their bongs.
Just the Russians looking for more ways to trump up the charges.
jmowreader
(50,562 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)jmowreader
(50,562 posts)The opium straw? They make tea out of it, but I think if I was a drug user who was going to sea and had only a small amount of storage space for personal things I wouldn't want drugs that were bulky like weed or poppy straw.
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)to suddenly "find" drugs on political activists.
Theyletmeeatcake2
(348 posts)And whose laws would be They be breaking? Just asking....
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)to make their arrest look creditable.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Last edited Sat Nov 9, 2013, 05:10 PM - Edit history (1)
The Arctic Circle borders the territory of the USA, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Russia. (Greenland, on the map, still belongs to Denmark.)
All the nations are increasing their fleets in the area as it is easier to travel now, to protect their rights. Russia has more ports there than any other, and is protecting its sovereignty.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Ocean#Extent_and_major_ports
Russia has the right to do this. It may also be a face-saving action after losing some 'face' to Obama on Syria.
JMHO.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)Yes, you heard it first here on RT News
1000words
(7,051 posts)davidpdx
(22,000 posts)meaning the Russians have already made the conclusion that illegal drugs were on the ship. We'll see if anyone follows up with the claim that the ship was searched prior to departure. That should be fairly easy to confirm.
It sounds like me they are ready to put them in front of a kangaroo court and convict them.
1000words
(7,051 posts)Personally, I believe the charge to be fabricated as well.
On edit: Won't there be definitive evidence of innocence from the Norwegian authorities that searched the ship prior to shoving off?
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)would have a record of it. Sounds like an easy enough thing to verify. They certainly wouldn't have let the ship leave if drugs were found. Norway is one of the least corrupt nations in the world. If I had my choice of believing Norway or Russia, I'd choose Norway everyday of the week and twice on Sundays.
joshcryer
(62,276 posts)The RT article "even handedly" refers to it as a precursor to heroin. (Even though no quantities are noted, or what.)
A handful of poppy straw for a poppy tea (which a herbally inclined user would prefer in the case of a medical emergency) is hardly a heroin precursor.
I don't find that RT propaganda piece even handed at all.
MADem
(135,425 posts)I'm sure he's saying that is completely fair coverage coming out of his propaganda arm...
joshcryer
(62,276 posts)I mean, really, c'mon. GP activists could be expected to prefer herbal remedies for some afflictions. A herbal tea made of poppy straw, I can see, being preferred by at least one of the 30+ activists on board. Otherwise you need kilos of that shit to make heroin at viable quantities, imo.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)and an interesting perspective on the poppy straw which I had no idea could be used for tea. Maybe someone should ask for a picture of the evidence so we can see exactly how much it is. I can just imagine someone with a small fistful of straw saying "yeah it's drugs".
joshcryer
(62,276 posts)There's no other reason to have "poppy straw" except for making tea, unless you have very large quantities of it. And I highly doubt that the boat had large quantities (kilos, minimum). It was probably being used as a herbal remedy. Not necessarily medical, it's very possible some were using it as a calming remedy or even a sleep remedy (even possible it was used as an anti-sea-sickness remedy). Regardless. The Russian government appears to be reaching here. And Greenpeace is standing firm.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)I wouldn't last a week out there, much less months. Hopefully they are released soon.
MADem
(135,425 posts)They just want to arrest 'em, and they'll hang their hat on any obscure point to do it.
I'll bet if they found a gay guy in that damn bucket they'd find a way to hold 'em all on the "propagandizing" law.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)Turborama
(22,109 posts)Related article from March...
Vladimir Putin's crackdown on NGOs is return to rule by fear
The unprecedented sweep of civil society groups in Russia shows that Vladimir Putin has shifted to ruling openly by the politics of fear. The powerful president has yet to recover from the protests that swept Russia around his return to the Kremlin last year. Protesters have been arrested, organisers charged, Pussy Riot jailed, and now non-governmental organisations targeted as potential agents of the west.
The sweeps were conducted under a controversial law adopted last year, requiring all NGOs who receive foreign funding to register as "foreign agents". In Russian, the term conjures images of Soviet-era propaganda beseeching citizens to avoid contact with all foreigners. The idea that all foreigners are spies has once again been revived. It began when Putin blamed the protests on Russia's traditional external enemy, the United States.
To many, the raids in which officials from the prosecutor's office, tax inspectorate and ministry of justice combed through registration and financial documents came as a surprise. Inside Russia's human rights community it was expected, after Putin suddenly recalled the law during a meeting with officers from his feared security services last month. "It was a classic signal," said Rachel Denber of Human Rights Watch, whose Moscow office was raided on Wednesday.
The net has been cast wide. It is not only the traditional groups of which the Kremlin has long voiced suspicion that have been targeted. Caught up in the raids are NGOs across Russia, including a Catholic church in the southern region of Rostov, a young environmentalist group called Akva in the port city of Novorossiysk, an Aids charity in the region of Bashkortostan. Lest they forget, these groups now know they are being watched.
Full article: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/27/vladimir-putin-crackdown-ngo-russia
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)but anyone even thinking about protesting during the Olympics. Iron-fisted Putin will crush you. That is the message.
grantcart
(53,061 posts)Police attacked peaceful protestors and is facing either 10 years in jail or long term incarceration to a closed psychiatric ward:
http://rt.com/politics/kosenko-court-verdict-asylum-932/
A Moscow court has recognized a participant of 2012 street protests guilty of rioting, but did not issue a prison sentence - sending the convict to a closed psychiatric ward instead.
According to the verdict of the Zamoskvoretsky District Court, 38-year-old Mikhail Kosenko was found guilty of taking part in mass unrest and of applying violence to a representative of the authorities, crimes that can carry up to eight and 10 years in prison respectively. Both offences were committed on May 6, 2012, during the so called Bolotnaya Square riots clashes with police during a thousands-strong rally against alleged violations during the 2011 parliamentary poll.
According to prosecutors, during the unrest Kosenko punched and kicked an officer from the OMON riot police squad.