The Russian parliament has approved a mass amnesty to thousands of prisoners, including members of the punk group Pussy Riot and the Greenpeace Arctic 30. Up to 22,000 people will be freed under an initiative proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Greenpeace Arctic 30 were arrested in September after trying to stop Russian oil drilling in the Arctic. After the vote, Arctic 30 member Faiza Oulahsen said she remains worried for her Russian colleagues.

Faiza Oulahsen: “For now, I’m not excited. We are being granted amnesty for peacefully protesting in the Arctic. We did nothing wrong. We’ve spent (time) in jail for doing nothing wrong, and now we are deemed guilty, but granted amnesty, and 26 of us will be able to go home after this, sooner or later. But what will this mean for our Russian colleagues who still have the rest of their lives in this country?”

The two Pussy Riot members could be freed in the coming days after their arrest for performing in a Moscow church nearly two years ago. Family members say the amnesty comes too late, as they were already approaching the end of their terms.