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| Europe |
| Lithuania accuses Russia of violating international maritime laws over fishing boat seizure |
| 2014-10-03 |
| Russia has been accused by Lithuania of violating international maritime laws after seizing a Lithuanian fishing boat with a crew of 30. The EU protested earlier over the 18 September incident, saying Russian border guards had conducted a "forced apprehension" of the vessel. Russia says the vessel, Juros Vilkas, was illegally fishing for crabs - a claim denied by Lithuania. It is now in the Russian port of Murmansk awaiting a court ruling. Rasa Jakilaitiene, a spokeswoman for Lithuania's foreign ministry, told reporters the Juros Vilkas had been in international waters when it was seized in the Barents Sea. She said that assessment was supported by satellite data. Russia's foreign ministry said the fishing boat had been detained after guards found it in the country's exclusive economic waters - an internationally recognised area of sea with rights for a particular nation. The Lithuanian government acknowledged the boat had been in an agreed Russian fisheries zone but insisted it had a right to be there. A Russian court will decide on 7 October whether to release the vessel, AFP news agency reports. Lawyer Vladimir Odiagailo told the agency that the crew, which includes Lithuanian and Russian nationals, had "not been detained and is still on the boat, anchored in the port of Murmansk". |
| Posted by:Pappy |