Ah, but what's in a word? Russia charges two Greenpeace activists with piracy

The alleged "pirate" ship. © Will Rose / Greenpeace

Well, it's a lesser charge than terrorism, I suppose, as Russia charges two activists with piracy:

Russian investigators on Wednesday formally charged two of 30 detained Greenpeace campaigners for piracy over an open-sea protest against Arctic oil drilling, an activist said.

"The first two activists have been charged with piracy," Mikhail Kreindlin, a representative of Greenpeace, told AFP. "These activists are from Brazil and Britain."

He did not provide further details. Piracy by an organised group carries a punishment of between 10 and 15 years.

I suspect there is time off for good behavior. Maybe.

Greenpeace throws itself on the mercy of the world court of opinion here:

Responding to the news, Greenpeace International executive director Kumi Naidoo said: “A charge of piracy is being laid against men and women whose only crime is to be possessed of a conscience. This is an outrage and represents nothing less than an assault on the very principle of peaceful protest. Any claim that these activists are pirates is as absurd as it is abominable. It is utterly irrational, it is designed to intimidate and silence us, but we will not be cowed.

One person's peaceful protest is another person's . . .