(Iran's Environment News Agency) Following the detention of 30 Green Peace activists protesting against Russia's oil drilling in the arctic who were further charged with hooliganism and piracy by a court in Russia, Dr. Massoumeh Ebtekar called for immediate release of these activist.
"Given that this act is directly in relation to non-exploitation of new hydrocarbon resources in the arctic and aimed at stopping the global warming, it is indeed an act of compassion and apprehension," said Dr. Massoumeh Ebtekar, head of Department of Environment of Iran and winner of the « Champion of The Earth » title in 2006, in an interview with Iran's Environmental News Agency.
"I expect that by realizing this fact, the government of Russia would at once order the release of these activists," added Massoumeh Ebtekar.
She emphasized that: "No government in any part of the world should use violence and deprivation as tools against civil organizations and environmental activists who care for the future of the earth, and as a champion of the earth, I call upon the Russian government to scrutinize every dimension of this case and act to remove the restrictions off these Greenpeace activist."