Russian court to rule over Greenpeace activists

A Russian Coast Guard officer points a gun at a Greenpeace activist as others attempt to climb the Prirazlomnaya oil platform (EPA)

A Russian court is expected to rule in the case of 30 Greenpeace activists apprehended after they tried to scale an offshore oil platform last week.

Two members of the group were detained on 18 September  in their attempt to scale the Russian Arctic platform. The Coast Guard seized Greenpeace's ship the next day and towed it with the 30 activists aboard, to Murmansk. The activists from 19 countries are in custody and being investigated for piracy.

The court is expected to rule on Thursday whether to dismiss the case and release the activists or keep them in jail pending the probe. Investigators said they are seeking the activists' arrest.

Though Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that the activists aren't pirates, he defended the detention.

AP