Jan Beránek: No bail. Detention.
Colin shrugs and shakes his head as hearts sink in cities across the world. He gets to his feet and makes a V sign for the cameras, which by now are clustered around the cage. And he says, ‘Thank you to the world for coming to our cause. I want to thank you. Everybody around the world, thank you, thank you. You’re all beautiful people.’ His face breaks into a grin. ‘I love you all. I love everybody. I am not a criminal.’
The fur hats cuff Colin’s wrists and lead him out, and as he’s taken down the corridor, with supporters clapping as he passes, he says, ‘Thank you, everybody. You’re all good. All good.’
At SIZO-5 Sini is in a meeting room waiting for a guard to take her back to her cell. There’s a little window in the door and she can see Alex in her purple ski jacket going into a meeting room with her own lawyer. Sini waves at her and Alex waves back. Then Sini sees that Alex is crying. Alex’s lawyer comes to the window and shows Sini three fingers and mouths the words, ‘Three months. Colin. Three months.’
Alex wipes her eyes. Sini is making a shape with her hands. Alex squints to see better. Sini has made a heart with her fingers and she’s mouthing the words, ‘I love you.’ Sini quickly scribbles a note and gives it to the translator, who walks through to the other room and passes it to Alex. It says, It will be okay. Be strong. I love you.
Dima is watching the television news. He stares at the screen, at pictures of Colin. He shakes his head as the reporter explains the Greenpeace prisoners are staying in jail, then he sits down and writes a letter to his son Lev on the Pacific island of Vanuatu.
Dima has put off this moment for as long as he could, but now he knows it’s at least three more months, and possibly years in jail. He knows Lev will take the letter well, he’s a good kid, he has some of his grandfather inside him, and a lot of his great-grandfather and namesake, the famous dissident Lev Kopelev.
As he holds the pen above a sheet of paper, Dima’s mind slips back many years to when Lev was just a kid, maybe thirteen. The family was living in Sweden and one night there was a power outage. Lev couldn’t play computer games so he disappeared outside with his friends. At 2 a.m. he still hadn’t returned. Dima was frantic. Then at 3 a.m. bang bang bang on the door. Two burly policemen stood there with skimpy little Lev between them. Anitta broke into tears, Dima asked what was going on. The cops said they found him on the roof of his school, they said Lev had talked back to them, some wiseguy stuff. Dima asked Lev, ‘Did you? Did you speak back to the officers?’ And Lev said, ‘Well, I just said to them that as long as police violence is portrayed as justice then the justice of the proletariat is going to look like violence.’
Dima smiles at the memory. He bends over the paper and starts to write.
As you will have heard, I ran into a bit of trouble in the motherland. Been here a couple of months, and it looks like I’ll be staying a bit longer. Question is how much longer. There is a risk that it will take quite a few months. And if things don’t improve, years. Now, I personally am fine. It’s no Club Med, but it’s no Auschwitz either. My biggest concern is Mom and Luke. I’m really worried that if things extend on she’ll REALLY get fucked up. Already she looks (on a newspaper foto) very skinny and depressed. Her messages to me are sounding desperate. SO, I know you got a travel plan but I wonder if I can ask you to change it? I am going to a hearing this week that should extend my imprisonment to February 24th. Who knows what happens after. It would be very good if you would consider coming home for a few months to be with your mom. Of course we can help to pay for your ticket. Sorry to dump this on you, but as you understand it’s a bit of an extraordinary situation. Please don’t tell mom I’ve asked you to do this. Anyway I hope you’re having an EXCELLENT adventure so far. Hugs hugs and love to Nigh-Nush. Love you tons. Hugs and kisses from the Gulags.
In the cell next door, Pete Willcox opens his diary and pulls the lid off his pen.
Three month extensions for detention. My heart did a nosedive, and I crawled up on my bunk and stared at the ceiling, which is only three inches away. Totally bummed.
In the Room of Doom the campaigners are chewing their lips and staring into the middle distance, their eyes are red and wet. When they try to smile their lips quiver and they fight back tears. Nobody is saying much. Then a Skype message lands from St Petersburg.
Jan Beránek: IMP UPDATE from Katya’s hearing: Prosecutor said he is NOT against a bail in case of Ekaterina. The judge interrupted the hearing so that she can prepare the decision.
Katya Zaspa is the ship’s 37-year-old doctor from Moscow.
Jan Beránek: UNCONFIRMED: Katya’s lawyer got information that her bail will be accepted. But we still need to wait for judge to pronounce her decision.
Mads Christensen unmutes the video link from Copenhagen. ‘Did you guys just see that?
Ben Ayliffe looks up. ‘Jan’s Skype message?’
‘He says Katya’s lawyer’s been told she’ll get bail.’ Christensen leans back in his chair and runs his hands through his hair. ‘Holy shit, if that’s true…’
There’s no livestream to Katya’s hearing so the campaigners stare at their screens, dozens of them across the globe, waiting for an update on the Skype group. A minute passes, then another. Then…
Jan Beránek: CONFIRMED: Katya’s bail accepted! Now official.
The bunker erupts. In Copenhagen Mads Christensen throws his head back and thrusts his arms into the air in triumph.
Jan Beránek: As far as I understand from the lawyers, we now have 48 hours to deposit the 2 million rubles. After that, she can go free.
Jan Beránek: IMP UPDATE from Ana Paula’s hearing: The prosecutor supports the bail! Decision will only be made at 11am tomorrow.
Jan Beránek: UPDATE from Denis’ hearing: Denis says that if the injustice will be extended, he will respond by a hunger strike.
Jan Beránek: Denis gets a bail as well!
By early evening, Russian TV news is running images of Denis smiling, being led out of the courtroom to cheers. It’s hard to make out what’s happened, but most of the activists understand that Katya and Denis got bail and the prosecutor isn’t opposing release for the Brazilian activist Ana Paula Maciel, but her case resumes tomorrow. At SIZO-5 Faiza is told by her lawyer that the Russians will be freed as soon as the bail money is paid. ‘But if we’re getting out then why did they keep Colin?’ she asks. ‘Are they going to make a distinction? Because it doesn’t make sense that they picked out Colin.’
‘Look,’ her lawyer replies, ‘the phone call didn’t come through in time. Colin’s judge didn’t get the call. In Russia we call it telefonnoye pravo. Telephone justice. And the phone call came late. Soon enough we’ll know either way. It all depends on Ana Paula tomorrow morning.’
TWENTY-EIGHT
19th November
Two months gone since FSB Alpha Team landed on Arctic Sunrise and had us imprisoned. Just saw the morning news and Anton translated that Denis + Katya have been given LIBERTY!! Great news. Saw pix of Colin and Kieron too but no info on them. It’s now Arctic 28!
19th November
Just saw the news. Katya, Colin and Denis, in prisoner cells in court. They all looked upset. Obviously we are all being detained again… I got some veggie food this morning. Smells like shit on a shingle. Have not heard from Dima yet. Don’t trust, don’t fear, don’t beg.