ABOVE: Daniel Simons, a lawyer for Greenpeace, said that a decision by Russia to drop piracy charges “doesn’t go nearly far enough.”
MOSCOW – Russia’s main investigative agency says it has dropped piracy charges against jailed Greenpeace activists, including two Canadians, and charged them with hooliganism instead.
Piracy is punishable by a prison term of up to 15 years in prison, while hooliganism charges can carry up to seven years.
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READ MORE: Family of Canadian Greenpeace activist charged in Russia speaks out
The Investigative Committee’s statement follows a comment by President Vladimir Putin, who said last month that he doesn’t think that the Greenpeace activists were pirates.
The activists, including Alexandre Paul of Montreal and Paul Ruzycki of Port Colborne, Ont., have been held since their ship, the “Arctic Sunrise”, was seized by the Russian coast guard after a protest near a Gazprom-owned oil rig Sept. 18.
There was no immediate comment from the Greenpeace on the latest move by Russian investigators.
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