On March 20, 2013, the Arkhangelsk Regional Court denied an application for parole from Platon Lebedev. The ruling came less than two months after the Russian Supreme Court ordered the Arkhangelsk Regional Court to review a previous refusal, in September 2011, of Lebedev’s release on parole.

Lebedev continues to argue that he is eligible for release on parole under Russian law, and that the refusals to grant his release have been unconstitutional. His lawyers intend to file a new appeal at the Russian Supreme Court.

As Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s co-defendant in two joint trials, Lebedev is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence due to be completed in 2014.