Arctic 30: Letters from Prison

A group of Greenpeace activists in custody in Russia is facing possible jail sentences of up to 15 years. Their ship was seized two days after they attempted to board an offshore drilling platform owned by Gazprom. Life has been quite difficult. It's very cold now. I'll stay strong. Everyone sleeps with their clothes on. I spend 23 hours a day in here. The world is talking about Arctic oil. Dear James. Dear supporters. It's been over a month now that the special forces dropped by helicopter and took over our ship at gunpoint. What a terrifying moment, I must admit. Surreal. Out of an action movie. Since then, life has been quite difficult. We were towed into port under armed guard. Murmansk being the final destination. When we were taken off the ship to be arrested, it felt like a scene from the Cold War. It was dark. I was scared. The hardest moment was the first night in prison. Being shown to my cell and introduced to a couple of strangers was frightening, to say the least. The cell is about 8 meters long, 4 meters wide and 6 meters high. I spend 23 hours a day in here, without nothing but the occasional book and my thoughts. The weather has turned to winter. Everyone sleeps with their clothes on. I heard that from December, Murmansk is dark for six weeks. God, I hope I'm out by then. There isn't a moment I don't think about my family. I dream of the day I can run into their arms. Existence here is incredibly bipolar, ranging from the fatalistic to blind panic that I will spend 15 years in a Russian prison cell for a crime I didn't commit. I told my friend Phil that I was worried I couldn't cope. He told me I'd be fine. Always remember, there are a lot of people working very hard to release you. Knowing my friends and family are fighting for me is my source of strength. I spend a lot of time looking out through the window when the sun shines. I think about the Arctic, the sea ice. It makes me happy, it gives me strength. Yesterday I saw that someone had scratched Save the Arctic into the wall. It made me laugh. I am definitely getting stronger. All of us are asking each other the question whether we would do it again, knowing the consequences. Yes, we would. We cannot get threatened and sometimes it is necessary to pay a high price for things we deeply believe in. I hear news of protests all over the world. The world is talking about Arctic oil. There are 30 people whose lives have been changed irrevocably from 18 nations across the world. 28 of those people were standing up for what they believe. And two journalists were there to report that story. Now we have to hope the world will support their rights to do so and that Russia will listen. Greenpeace is only but a word. The people behind it is our strength.