Greenpeace Protest: Britons Released On Bail

Two Britons have been freed on bail after they were arrested following attempts by Greenpeace to occupy an oil platform in the Arctic.

Greenpeace activist Alexandra Harris and independent video-journalist Kieron Bryan were given the news at a court in St Petersburg after spending two months in custody following the protest at the Prirazlomnaya platform in September.

As she heard the news, Ms Harris skipped for joy and said: "This has been the hardest experience of my life. I'm really happy. It's not over yet but there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Journalist Kieron Bryan shows his relief at the news

"It's nice the Russians made the right decision. I love my parents and look forward to speaking to them soon."

Ms Harris' father Chris said: "We're incredibly proud of how she has conducted herself throughout this ordeal.

"I can see when she came into court she was smiling and happy as she'd heard the news the others had been granted bail, but as the hearing progressed she became emotional.

British activist Iain Rogers was denied bail at a hearing in October

"I think she'll make her own mind up what she does in life. She's always been passionate about the Arctic and we're proud of her.

After his release Mr Bryan said: "This has been really difficult and it has been made a lot easier hearing how much support I have in the UK. To my family, 'I love you and I hope to see you soon'."

Speaking of his detention, he said: "I had a couple of phone calls with my girlfriend and that's it. It's the worst possible isolation.

Russian special forces arrested the protesters at gunpoint in September

"The conditions were terrible in Murmansk. I think we're very lucky in the UK. Things were better in St Petersburg because they decorated my cell and made it look nice."

Mr Bryan said the moment of his arrest when Russian special forces abseiled onto the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise was like something out of a Hollywood movie.

"They didn't declare who they were they just pointed their guns at us and took over the ship. I had no idea it was going to carry on like this. If I knew that was the beginning of this nightmare I would have behaved differently."

The ship's Captain, Pete Wilcox, was also freed on bail

The group were initially charged with piracy but are now accused of hooliganism, which carries a maximum jail term of seven years.

Greenpeace spokeswoman Birgitte Lesanner said she was "proud" of the protesters, including six Britons, and said their resilience had been "amazing".

"We need to remember they're still charged with really horrible charges and we've no clue as to the next steps, so we're not celebrating yet," she said.

Anthony Perrett will learn later if his bail application was successful

"But that moment when they (said) they're released on bail (was) quite amazing."

Earlier, as she was led into the courtroom by police, Ms Harris told supporters she felt "trapped inside a political game".

Speaking from inside a metal cage, she told Sky News correspondent Katie Stallard: "I will not dishonour Greenpeace or my country by trying to flee Russia or the investigation."

Ms Harris' father said her family were overjoyed at news of her release

Ms Harris, whose bail was set at two million rubles (£38,098), said she was nervous and that the past two months had been "horrible".

"When I talk about the last two months, it's hard not to get emotional," she said.

"The conditions (in prison) at first were awful and the food was disgusting.

"They're better now but it's still prison. I'm still trapped, I can't speak to anyone (and I'm) cut off from the world. It's no better."

A total of 30 people aboard the Arctic Sunrise were detained after the protest in September.

Greenpeace activist Anthony Perrett is expected to have his bail application heard later.

A fourth Briton, Iain Rogers, the Arctic Sunrise engineer, was refused bail at a hearing in October.

Dutch protester Faiza Oulahsen and the ship's captain, Pete Wilcox, were granted bail earlier, while Sini Saarela of Finland and Francesco Pisanu of France had their applications approved yesterday.

However, Australian activist Colin Russell was denied bail at an earlier hearing and will be kept in detention until February.

:: Watch Sky News for live coverage of the hearing.

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