Tuesday

19th Mar 2024

Russia warns against meddling in Khodorkovsky trial

  • EU high presentative Catherine Ashton and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov (Photo: ec.europa.eu)

Russia has accused Europe and the US of attempting to influence the trial of jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, brandishing the West's recent criticism as "unacceptable".

"We would like to, once again, stress that this question is a matter for the legal system of the Russian Federation. Attempts to bring pressure on the court are unacceptable," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday (28 December).

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

The warning follows German and US criticism of the guilty verdict handed to Mr Khodorkovsky by a Russian court a day earlier.

Once Russia's richest man, Mr Khodorkovsky was first jailed in 2005 for fraud and tax evasion and on Monday was convicted of embezzlement and money laundering, together with former business partner Platon Lebedev.

Judge Viktor Danilkin said the court found both men guilty of embezzling tens of billions of dollars worth of oil from their own company.

Critics say the court's decision is politically motivated, with the former oil tycoon previously seen as a threat to ex-president and current prime minister Vladimir Putin.

Analysts also say that the charges - that the two men stole oil worth $27 billion, or several years' worth of their giant company's output - are prima facie ludicrous.

EU high representative for foreign affairs Catherine Ashton has suggested the length of the new sentence could affect EU-Russia relations.

"The European Union will continue to follow developments very closely, including the forthcoming announcement of the sentence ... the EU expects Russia to respect its international commitments in the field of human rights and the rule of law," a spokesman for Ms Ashton said on Monday.

The announcement of the new sentence, only to be delivered once the judge reads through the lengthy verdict, could take several days. A heavy sentence could see the two men spend another six years in prison, once their current time behind bars expires next year.

The White House on Monday said it was "deeply concerned" about the guilty verdict, calling it a "selective application" of justice.

Berlin also voiced its opposition. "The way the trial has been conducted is extremely dubious and a step backward on the road toward a modernisation of the country," German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle said in a statement.

"It is in the interest of our Russian partners to take these concerns seriously and to stand up for the rule of law, democracy and human rights," he continued.

Borrell: 'Israel provoking famine', urges more aid access

70 percent of northern Gaza is facing famine, new data shows. There is one shower per 5,500 people, and 888 people per toilet. 'How can you live in these conditions?" asked Natalie Boucly of UNRWA at the European Humanitarian Forum.

Analysis

Scepticism surrounds Russian space nuke allegations

If there is one point of agreement between the US intelligence community and the space policy community, it's the seemingly low confidence in recent warnings about Russia readying a nuclear weapon for orbit.

Opinion

Potential legal avenues to prosecute Navalny's killers

The UN could launch an independent international investigation into Navalny's killing, akin to investigation I conducted on Jamal Khashoggi's assassination, or on Navalny's Novichok poisoning, in my role as special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, writes the secretary-general of Amnesty International.

Latest News

  1. Borrell: 'Israel provoking famine', urges more aid access
  2. Europol: Israel-Gaza galvanising Jihadist recruitment in Europe
  3. EU to agree Israeli-settler blacklist, Borrell says
  4. EU ministers keen to use Russian profits for Ukraine ammo
  5. Call to change EIB defence spending rules hits scepticism
  6. Potential legal avenues to prosecute Navalny's killers
  7. EU summit, Gaza, Ukraine, reforms in focus this WEEK
  8. The present and future dystopia of political micro-targeting ads

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us