Russia Loses The Case Over Greenpeace Ship. What Happened?

Prepared By: Alican ŞANLI
Translated by :Ali Can ŞANLI
Edited by :Ali GÖÇMEN

In September 2013 The Greenpeace activists on the  the Dutch-flagged  ship named Arctic Sunrise carried out an protest against oil exploration activities of  Russia in  Arctic Ocean. Russian cost guard units seized the ship and detained 30 activists charging them with piracy. After a while The activists were released by court.

Netherlands takes the case to The Permanent court of Arbitration.

Netherlands applied to the court claiming that the intervention of Russia to the ship in question  took place in the Exclusive Economic Zone where Russia had no right to intervene in organization’s right to protest . Russia didn’t participate in the arbitration. The Court  found that the application was right and ordered  Russia to pay compensation.

The statute of the permanent court of Arbitration

The court was founded by Lahey convention of peaceful settlement in international disputes in 1899. The court holds activities at the Peace Palace in Lahey 117  countries are parties of the convention including Russia and Netherlands. Its decisions are as binding as the other international courts.If one party of case refuses the judgement of the court, the other one can take the case to the UN security council and lay an economic embargo. However, neither court nor the country can enforce the decision.