Russia will pay Greenpeace 2.7 million euros ($3 million), according to a settlement reached between the Dutch state and Moscow. This settlement marks the end on years of legal battles after the seizure by Russia of a Dutch-flagged Greenpeace vessel, the Arctic Sunrise, in 2013 and the arrest of 30 people onboard.
Russia seized the Arctic Sunrise in international waters after a protest against an oil platform. The people onboard were detained in Russian prisons for months and released released before 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Now, according to Reuters, on May 17, the Dutch Foreign Ministry informed that it had reached a final settlement, details of which were confidential.
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Speaking on the agreement, Dutch Greenpeace activist Faiza Oulahsen, who was imprisoned in Russia for nearly three months in 2013, noted that this is good news.
In the same wavelength, Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok believes that the settlement is significant because the Netherlands has successfully defended the importance of peaceful protest at sea, including in the Arctic.
Two years ago, in July 2017, an international arbitration panel had ordered Moscow to pay the Netherlands over 5 million euros ($5.6 million) in damages for what happened in 2013. However, Russia did not recognize the tribunal’s findings.