Newsletter February 2012
Read the full February 2012 Newsletter.
Opposition calls for Khodorkovsky’s release
Ahead of the presidential elections on March 4th, all five opposition candidates have pledged, if elected, to free Khodorkovsky and Lebedev. Their pledges follow the demands of the Bolotnaya Square protesters in December, who called for the immediate release of all political prisoners and an end to political repression in Russia.
On January 27th, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov became the latest high-ranking official to comment on the case, stating: “Would I want an amnesty for Khodorkovsky? Unconditionally yes!” Also in Davos, Troika Dialog Board Member Ronald Freeman weighed in on the topic. He said: “In the end, it’s a question of investment attractiveness. The decision would immediately give 10 percent.”
Former Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, speaking on national television on January 24th, also called for Khodorkovsky’s release, saying that political life in Russia has entered a new era. Kudrin stated: “I think the sentence already served and the doubts expressed by some of the lawyers constitute a serious ground. Maybe [they] will release [him].” He further stated he was not sure that Vladimir Putin would be able to win an outright majority in the first round of the presidential elections.
Khodorkovsky: Putin still does not take the new opposition seriously
In an interview given to The New Times, Khodorkovsky outlined his thoughts on the upcoming elections and the danger in Putin’s stance on the protestors taking to Russia’s streets. He called for a new political philosophy of cooperation to avoid a revolution “instead of the archaic ‘vertical’”, incorporating honest independent and fair courts, honest independent mass information media, intolerance for corruption, a coalition government and a president with balanced powers. He suggested that over the coming weeks the opposition would need to escalate non-violent protests until all their demands had been met, and called for mass monitoring at polling stations and maximum voter participation, stating that “people must see for themselves and understand for themselves that place which is being offered to them by the power. And then – accept it or reject it.”
Khodorkovsky and Lebedev maintain innocence
Khodorkovsky’s lawyer Vadim Klyuvgant refuted comments made at Moscow State University by President Dmitry Medvedev, who said that the law required the head of state to consider the issue of a pardon only following a written submission from the convicted person. “It is untrue that the President can pardon a convicted person only if there is a written submission. It is untrue that this is required by any Russian law.” Given Putin’s publicly stated condition that an admission of guilt would have to be made in an appeal to the President for a pardon, Khodorkovsky and Lebedev remain steadfast that they will not admit guilt of the charges against them and will therefore refrain from a futile request for a presidential pardon.
Lawyers to appeal to Supreme Court
Lawyers for Khodorkovsky and Lebedev have maintained that they will continue to push for a review of their clients’ second verdict after the Moscow City Court rejected their latest petition in this regard on January 31st. Khodorkovsky’s lawyer, Yuri Schmidt, said the Moscow City Court’s decision was “predictable” and that it will be appealed to the Supreme Court. He confirmed that findings and recommendations of the Russian Presidential Council for Human Rights would be included in the filing to the Supreme Court; last year the Council conducted an independent public expert inquiry on the second Khodorkovsky-Lebedev case and found the verdict to be illegal and subject to annulment. The Supreme Court is unlikely to review the appeal before the presidential elections but it is widely thought that the Court’s decision will invalidate the recommendations that were made by the Presidential Council.
