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Greenpeace Captain Denied Bail


Greenpeace International captain Peter Wilcox (left)
Greenpeace International captain Peter Wilcox (left)
A Russian court has refused bail for the captain of a Greenpeace ship whose 30-member crew was detained after a protest against oil drilling in the Russian Arctic.

The court in the northern port city of Murmansk, where the activists are being held, ruled on October 14 that U.S. citizen Peter Wilcox should remain in pretrial detention because he could hinder the course of justice or go into hiding.

The court also denied bail to an Argentinian and a New Zealand activist, bringing to nine the number of rejected bail pleas.

All 30 Greenpeace crew are charged with piracy and could face up to 15 years in jail.

A veteran activist, Wilcox was the captain of the Greenpeace ship "Rainbow Warrior" when it was bombed by French secret agents in New Zealand in 1985.

Based on reporting by AFP and dpa

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