Amnesty hopes rise for the Greenpeace activists

Greenpeace has suggested that the 26 non-Russian Arctic protesters may not be able to leave Russia immediately after an amnesty passes into law:

The Russian parliament has approved an amnesty law which lawyers say could free members of punk band Pussy Riot and enable 30 people arrested in Greenpeace protest against Arctic oil drilling avoid trial.

The lower house of parliament passed the amnesty, which President Vladimir Putin proposed to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the passage of Russia's post-Soviet constitution.

Read: Arctic activist 'relieved but not celebrating' amnesty

There is no amnesty for the Arctic, one of the Greenpeace protesters held in Russia argued, after the country's parliament voted for an amendment extending an amnesty to defendants charged with hooliganism. Arctic Sunrise captain Peter Wilcox, of the United States, said:

One of the 30 activists seized in international waters when a Greenpeace ship was boarded by Russian authorities earlier this year has said she is "relieved, but not celebrating", after the Russian parliament voted to grant them amnesty.

Ana Paula Maciel from Brazil said: "I spent two months in jail for a crime I didn’t commit and faced criminal charges that were nothing less than absurd. But now at last it seems like this saga could soon be over and it may not be long before we’re back with our families.

"Right now my thoughts are with our Russian colleagues. If they accept this amnesty they will have criminal records in the country where they live, and all for something they didn’t do. All because we stood up for Arctic protection.”

The Greenpeace activists jailed for their part in a protest against Arctic drilling are expected to be granted an amnesty by the Russian parliament.

Read: Arctic protesters included in Russian amnesty bill

This morning the Duma voted for an amendment that extends an amnesty decree to those charged with hooliganism. There will be a final vote at 4pm today Moscow time, but the only way the activists would be removed from the amnesty is if the entire bill is rejected - which is extremely unlikely.

The Russian parliament has voted to extend an amnesty bill to include hooliganism, the charge against the crew of 30 people detained on the Greenpeace protest ship.

Watch: Greenpeace activists held at gunpoint

The State Duma this morning adopted final amendments to the bill which would free thousands of Russians, mainly juveniles, veterans, pregnant women, and women with children.

The amnesty is extended to suspects of hooliganism, which means that charges against 30 people abroad the Greenpeace ship who were held after an oil rig protest in Russia's Arctic in September are likely to be dropped.

The bill is also expected to release Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina, the jailed members of the Pussy Riot punk band who are serving two years on charges of hooliganism for an impromptu protest at Moscow's main cathedral.