Russia Greenpeace protest joined by relatives

Relatives of Greenpeace workers from Devon charged with piracy in Russia will be taking part in a "global day of solidarity".

Iain Rogers, Kieron Bryan and Alex Harris have been charged after a protest at an Arctic oil platform.

Family members will be at protests in London and Bristol on Saturday.

The entire crew of 30 on board the Arctic Sunrise, from which the protest was launched, have now been charged. Six of the crew are from the UK.

Gail Turner, an aunt of ship's engineer Iain Rogers, 37, from Exeter, is heading to London for a demonstration outside the Russian embassy.

"We have to make a stand," she said.

"These are trumped up charges and it is totally wrong. I am furious."

'Completely ridiculous'

Georgie Harris, 23, sister of communications worker Alex, 27, is also joining the Greenpeace demonstrations to "highlight the injustice" of the charges.

Exeter's Labour MP Ben Bradshaw said the piracy charges were "completely ridiculous".

He said: "It is very worrying. I have little faith in the Russian judicial system given Putin's record and I hope the British government is doing everything it can to get these British people released.

"The way the Russians are behaving is completely unacceptable."

The group was arrested last month after two of the protesters tried to board an oil platform owned by the Russian state-controlled firm Gazprom.

Alex Harris is among six Greepeace workers and activists charged in Russia

Greenpeace has called the charges "irrational, absurd and an outrage".

The crew members were formally charged with "piracy of an organised group", an offence that carries a 15-year prison sentence.

The Russian Investigative Committee said earlier this week that peaceful aims would not justify what it has described as an "attack" that posed a threat to the rig and its personnel.