Ana Paula Maciel, a 31-year-old biologist from Brazil, is brought to court with Sini and Camila and taken immediately to the courtroom for her hearing. Sini and Camila shuffle up next to each other in the holding cell and squeeze each other’s hands.
Jan Beránek: UPDATE from Ana Paula’s hearing: Ana is in cage, but shows several slogans on paper sheets. It says ‘Save the Arctic’, another one ‘I love Russia but I want go home’.
Jan Beránek: VERDICT on Ana Paula: YESSSSSSS! We are getting a bail!
Mads Christensen punches the air. The Room of Doom is a riot of cheering and whooping. Then suddenly Ben Ayliffe cries, ‘Whoa, wait! Look.’ He’s pointing at his laptop screen.
Jan Beránek: STOP STOP
Jan Beránek: HANG ON
Mads: Roger, standby on Ana Paula
Jan Beránek: MAY BE OPPOSITE
Jan Beránek: CHECKING WITH LAWYERS
The room is silent except for the ticking hands of those three clocks above the hand-drawn flags. A minute passes. And another. Nervous glances are shared. Then a new message drops onto their screens.
Jan Beránek: Yes, bail confirmed for third time.
Jan Beránek: It IS bail.
And now the room erupts with applause. The video screen is filled with boxes showing arms aloft in campaign hubs around the world.
Outside the holding cell in St Petersburg a guard appears. Sini and Camila look up. The man stands back and Ana Paula walks in, head bowed. She’s stood in the middle of the cell, her face a painting of grief. ‘You were right,’ she says, looking up. ‘You were right, Sini, it didn’t happen. Three more months.’
Sini and Camila reach out to touch her, but Ana Paula can’t hold it in any longer, she jumps up on her toes, her face breaks into a huge grin and she screams, ‘We’re outta here, girls! We’re gonna be free!’
‘What?’
‘It was a joke! I got bail.’
The corridors of St Petersburg’s Primorskiy courthouse echo to the distant sound of elated screaming.
Jan Beránek: UPDATE from Sini’s hearing: She was just brought into the courtroom.
Jan Beránek: UPDATE from Camila’s hearing: Her quote ‘ya tuvieron suficiente tiempo para darse cuenta que soy inocente nada mas’ / they had enough time to understand I am not guilty.
Jan Beránek: VERDICT on Camila: Bail granted!!!
Jan Beránek: UPDATE on Sini’s hearing: Judge went away to prepare verdict.
Jan Beránek: Sini’s final statement: ‘There are no reasons to keep me in detention. There were no reasons in the past two months either. And I will never stop believing in the right things.’
Sini still doesn’t think they’ll give her bail. She thinks they’re going to single her out because she climbed the oil platform, so she uses the hearing to unload on the prosecutor and the investigator. She comes to the front of the cage and jabs her finger at the investigator, saying, ‘You’re a liar. You tell lies.’ Then she points at the prosecutor and says, ‘And you. Yeah you. You’re hiding evidence.’ She wants to show them she’s not scared, but her lawyer looks back at her and hisses, ‘Sini, maybe you should say a bit less.’
The judge retires. Half an hour later he returns with his verdict. Sini braces herself. The judge is speaking now, the translator is whispering the words to Sini.
‘…and therefore the detainee is released while the investigation continues.’
Jan Beránek: VERDICT ON SINI – bail granted.
Sini looks up. She’s staggered. Bail? She got bail? It’s hard to believe. She’s actually going to be freed? Her lawyer looks back and sticks her thumb up. A smile breaks on Sini’s lips, she wants to leap and jump and hold somebody.
Maybe, finally, it’s over.
By the end of the day, twelve of the thirty have been granted bail. They just need the two-million-rouble bonds to be paid, then they’ll be free. At Kresty, Dima is watching Vasily make an extraordinary tomato relish and caviar sandwich when he hears the word ‘Greenpeace’ on the television. He looks up and sees Camila’s face. And he knows.
That night across the SIZOs most of the activists watch the TV news in their cells. They can see the smiling faces of their friends. They know they’re getting bail. They punch the air or scream out through the window or hug their cellmates, or they simply lie on their bunks and close their eyes and bathe in relief.
Dima runs his thumb under the seal of an envelope and pulls out the letter to Lev. He reads it through, then thinks momentarily of ripping it up and throwing the pieces out of the window. But then he stops himself. No, he’s not yet free. They might still single him out. Him and Pete and Frank. He remembers the faces of the competent authorities – Gerbil and Helmet-hair. They were FSB goons, up from St Petersburg. He’s sure of it. He’s in their home town now. His bail hearing is on Friday. This is only Tuesday evening. Anything can happen in the next three days. He slides the letter back into the envelope and puts it under his pillow.
20th November
Well. Fairly major surprise meeting with Pavel [his lawyer]. Guard came and got me and took me to the meeting room where they were waiting with big smiles. 12 non-Russians have effectively been given bail, including SINI which has major implications for those of us in the rhibs.
[later…] 6pm news showed Anne, 3rd mate, getting bail. Really encouraging news. My questioning of Anton about the news report was a bit enthusiastic I think. He finds it hard not to show his own feelings of jealousy. Somehow I must show restraint on each release of an Arctic 30.
The next day nine more are brought to court, including Alex. There are so many photographers that it feels like walking on the red carpet, except she doesn’t feel glamorous because she’s just stepped out of prison. There are flashes going off, people barking questions. ‘Do you have a few words to say? Alex, how do you feel? Do you think you’ll get bail? Alex? Alex?’ Then she’s pushed into the cage. The judge asks her if she has anything to say. Alex tells the court: ‘Every day in prison for me is connected with the struggle. I joined Greenpeace because I care about the environment and think the Earth should be saved for future generations.’
The judge retires then returns with the verdict. The translator is whispering the words in Alex’s ear and she’s thinking, hurry up and just spit it out, please. And then the judge gets there. She says Alex has got bail.
She feels light-headed. Delirious. It’s like she’s become detached from her body and is watching herself in the cage, getting to her feet and smiling for the cameras. The whole courtroom is filled with reporters. ‘Alex, Alex. What’s your reaction? How do you feel? Have you got a message for your parents? Alex?’
21st November
The steel section masquerading as a bed base is starting to hurt my hips. And ribs. The mattress has inexorably sunk to the profile of the steel plate and is ridged. I think I also pulled a muscle in my back at gulyat playing hacky-sack with Anton.
[later…] Back from the court with bail conditions granted! Pavel told me I won’t get out of Kresty till Monday as payments are taking time to process. I’d love to be out by Friday but no go. Media presence was huge for such a small room. A mad scramble with police getting very angry with SKY NEWS team. They fully got into a scrum. Told me I was live and I did a piece. I also gave my speech about the FSB being the armed hooligans that morning, not Greenpeace. Stewey [head of the media team] was in the media pack! Great to have seen him. Really feels like a major step on the road to freedom. In the holding cell at court I saw a Column 88 stamp with swastikas each side + Russian lettering underneath. Lots of right wing thugs here I guess. I wrote ‘Nazi Scum’ above with an arrow pointing down.