Post date: Dec 27, 2013 1:14:38 AM
NVO _ Dmitry Litvinov of Sweden becomes the first Greenpeace activist to leave Russia.
Litvinov, along with 30 others from the group, had been held for two months behind bars on hooliganism charges, stemming from a protest against oil drilling in the Arctic.
GREENPEACE ACTIVIST DMITRY LITVINOV, "I am glad that this chapter is over but the book still remains to be written."
The activists faced up to seven years in jail. They were granted amnesty.
GREENPEACE ACTIVIST DMITRY LITVINOV,
"This was an absolute shock for us. I think that Gazprom and other companies that stood behind this which I am convinced that they did, were in for surprise. They thought so that they could shut us up. That had exactly the opposite effect. Now many more people around the world know about the threat to the Arctic from oil exploration and about the need to fight against that as we did before. So, it was a shock for us but I think it was also a shock for them."
Other members of Greenpeace given exit visas are expected to follow suit.
Their amnesty removes an irritant in relations in what Kremlin critics say is a move timed to improve Russia's image ahead of the Olympics.