Russian government on Tuesday granted amnesty to first of the 30 persons accused of participating in a Greenpeace protest in the Arctic.
Two freelance journalists and 28 activists were arrested in September by authorities for hooliganism by staging a protest at a Russian offshore oil rig.
All of them are being granted pardon under a new Russian law which has witnessed several high profile releases in recent days.
According to Greenpeace, three activists have been told their cases were closed and others are expected to receive notice soon, news agencies report.