The statement by A. Krasnoshtan, the Chairman of the Northern regional organization of the Russian trade union of sailors, which appeared in the Interfax news, about «the sailors forcibly held on board the vessel Arctic Sea and who continue their work against their will» is not true.
Earlier, the Investigative Committee reported that Russian investigators conduct investigatory actions on board the vessel jointly with the representatives of Malta, for criminal cases launched on charges of piracy and kidnapping of Russian citizens - the crew members. All actions are carried out in strict accordance with the requirements of the Russian criminal procedural law and the norms of international maritime law. The investigators did not perform any illegal actions in respect of the crew.
Indeed, investigatory actions on board the ship were completed on September 16. And according to earlier reached agreement both the vessel crew and the investigation team had to be removed from the vessel at the port Las Palmas. However, the decision of the Maltese authorities not to send representatives to the ship for its transfer, caused problems with the ship entering in the specified port, as well as put both the crew and investigators in a difficult position.
Given the above, the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor-General’s Office demands Interfax News Agency to publish a disclaimer of untrue facts, and reserves the right to sue the agency for false information with the requirement to compensate the damage caused to the business reputation of the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor-General's Office.
PDF version 
DOC version
