My sister is not a pirate

My sister Ana Paula is not a pirate.

But the Russian authorities have charged her with piracy, along with 29 of her Greenpeace crew members aboard the Arctic Sunrise. Their crime? Peacefully protesting a dangerous deepwater oil rig, the first of its kind, in the Arctic.

Now Ana Paula and her colleagues, some in solitary confinement, face up to fifteen years in a Russian jail. Even Russian president Putin says the charges are extreme, but there’s no sign of them getting out.

Now I’m asking the Avaaz community to build a truly global outcry for my sister’s release. Appeals made by western governments have so far fallen on deaf ears, but if we can get four key countries with strong trade and political ties to Russia -- Brazil, India, South Africa and China -- to weigh in, we can help my sister come home.

Avaaz’s global reach is simply unmatched. If one million of us sign the emergency petition to help free the Arctic 30, I’ll be speaking not just on behalf of my family, or Greenpeace, but with the power of one million people behind me calling for their freedom. Add your voice now, and send this widely.