Dutch government asks international sea law tribunal to release Greenpeace activists

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch government said on Monday it had asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to order Russia to release 30 people detained last month during an environmental protest in the Arctic Sea. The passengers and crew of the Dutch-registered Arctic Sunrise face piracy charges and jail terms of up to 15 years in Russia for their protest near a Gazprom oil platform against oil drilling in Arctic waters. The Netherlands said it expected a hearing in Hamburg, where the tribunal is based, within three weeks. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Alison Williams)