'end this injustice': plea to tony abbott by wife of arctic 30 protester


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The wife of jailed Greenpeace activist Colin Russell has made an emotional plea to Tony Abbott to intervene and prevent her husband being imprisoned by Russian authorities for another three


months. A St Petersburg court will decide on Monday whether to continue the detention of the so-called Arctic 30 while they await trial on piracy and hooliganism charges. Christine Russell


travelled to Canberra with daughter Madeleine to plead for the prime minister's intervention, in what she said had been a "nightmare" lasting 62 days. "I'm asking


prime minister Abbott and [foreign affairs] minister [Julie] Bishop to please speak directly at a diplomatic level with the Russian government and Russian authorities to end this injustice


that's been going on for 62 days now," an emotional Christine Russell told reporters in Canberra. "I just get overwhelmed – the thought that he's not going to be in our


lives possibly for another three months while they investigate ridiculous charges of piracy and hooliganism. "This shouldn't be allowed to continue." The 59-year-old Tasmanian


was one of 30 Arctic Sunrise crew members arrested by Russian authorities in September after two activists tried to scale a state-owned oil platform in protest against drilling in the


Arctic. The activists are facing lengthy jail terms of up to 15 years if convicted of piracy, and seven years for hooliganism. The charges have been described by Greenpeace as "absurd


and disproportionate". Greens leader Christine Milne said the Australian government had so far ducked its international obligations, and said Abbott should raise the matter directly


with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. "We do not want to see a judge tonight condemning those Arctic 30 to another three months in prison without trial," she said.


Independent MP Andrew Wilkie said it was "beyond time" for the Australian government to intervene. British leader David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had already


spoken to Putin, he said. "But our government is strangely silent," he said. "The Australian government is failing in its duty and responsibility right now."