Russian court grants bail for Polish Greenpeace activist

Greenpeace International activist Tomasz Dziemianczuk from Poland in the detention cage during his detention hearing at the Kalininskiy Court, in St. Petersburg, Russia, 19 November: photo - EPA

The 37 year-old Pole, an employee at Gdansk University, will be released if Greenpeace can find the 2 million rubles (just under 50,000 euros) security.

Thirty Greenpeace activists were arrested when they tried to scale the offshore Prirazlomnaya oil rig on 18 September and face up to seven years in jail if convicted.

Three of the Russians involved in the protest were granted bail on Monday.

A judge ruled that female medic Yekaterina Zaspa could be released and Andrei Allakhverdov, 50, and Denis Sinyakov, a 36-year-old photographer, were also granted bail.

Colin Russell, an Australian radio operator, was denied bail by a separate court earlier on Monday, however.

"The case against the Arctic 30 has descended into high farce," Greenpeace's Mads Christensen said in a statement.

"They should all be released from prison. This is a scandal, this bears no relation to the administration of justice. We will do everything we can to get our people out,” the statement continues. (pg)