The Australian government is standing firm despite pressure to demand the release of two Greenpeace activists being detained in a Russian prison.
Greenpeace and the Australian Greens want Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to seek the release of Coin Russell and British-born Sydney resident Alexandra Harris after they were remanded in custody for two months pending an investigation into piracy charges.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade simply says it will continue to liaise with other governments in its correspondence with Russian authorities.
A DFAT spokesman said Australian consular officials had visited Mr Russell and were monitoring his welfare and detention. He said Ms Harris was being assisted by British consular officials.
"We expect Russian authorities to afford due legal process to Mr Russell and the other detainees throughout the investigative process and any legal proceedings," the spokesman said.
The pair are among 28 activists locked up after the Russian coastguard boarded the Dutch-flagged Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise during a protest against Arctic drilling.
The coastguard took control of the ship on September 18 after two activists attempted to scale Russian energy giant Gazprom's Prirazlomnaya oil platform.
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I'm just glad they didn't get shot outright like those 9 activists on the Gaza aid ship incident
