- Mikhail Khodorkovsky
- Platon Lebedev
"We declare that the most flagrant violations of fundamental constitutional rights and lawful interests have been allowed in relation to M.B. Khodorkovsky and P.L. Lebedev, which rule out the possibility of a fair examination and resolution of the case."
Click to read the defense’s full stay motion.
- Current Legal Status: On Trial
- Incarcerated: Matrosskaya Tishina Detention Facility
- Latest Statement: Khodorkovsky Gazeta.ru Interview: June 26, 2009
Khodorkovsky is known to the world for his commitment to transparency and corporate governance in business as well as his contributions to the development of civil society in Russia. He is Russia's most famous political prisoner.
"I believe in Russia's future, and this also includes Russia's judicial system. I try to help the judicial system to become qualified, independent and impartial... We have an opportunity to set things right so that no one will ever feel ashamed of our country."
- Current Legal Status: On Trial
- Incarcerated: Matrosskaya Tishina Detention Facility
- Latest Statement: Lebedev Court Statement on the Essence of the Charges: April 21, 2009
Platon Lebedev, was Director of Group MENATEP Limited, the holding company for YUKOS. Trained as an industrial economist, Lebedev pioneered modern business practices.
Top Stories
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Courtroom Update: July 2, 2009
Today marks six years since Platon Lebedev was placed under arrest. In the courtroom, the prosecution continued presenting Volume 94 of the evidence materials, while the judge followed Mr. Lakhtin’s reading with precision, at times stopping him for clarifications and corrections. Defence attorneys Alexey Miroshnichenko and Nataliya Terekhova stated that the documents presented today covered the period of 2003 when Mr. Lebedev and Mikhail Khodorkovsky had already been placed under arrest, and therefore, were unable to participate in any alleged criminal activity. The trial will resume at 10:00 on Friday, July 3, 2009.
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European Court of Human Rights Rejects Russia's Request for Reconsideration of Vasily Aleksanyan Case
The European Court of Human Rights has confirmed the judgment of December 22, 2008, which secured Aleksanyan's freedom from detention.
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ANNOUNCEMENT: Press Conference Discussing the Results of Public Monitoring of the Trial on July 2nd
Liudmila Alekseeva and Valery Borschev, members of the Moscow Helsinki Group, Lev Ponomarev, director of NGO For Human Rights, academic Yuri Ryzhov from the Public Committee for Scientists’ Protection and Ernst Cherny, at the Ecology and Human Rights, will be speaking at the conference titled, “The trial against Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev should stop now”.
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Courtroom Update: June 30, 2009
This summary of the trial was reported from the Moscow courtroom. Today, Platon Lebedev filed a motion requesting a judicial examination of the evidence presented by the prosecution. Meanwhile, prosecutor Lakhtin began presenting Volume 93, focusing on contracts between Evoil and Fargoil. Attorney Vladimir Krasnov stressed the importance of specifying whether the announced sums include VAT payments, as this would highlight the legality of the transactions. Today’s hearing was attended by Garry Kasparov, and renowned Russian journalists Svetlana Sorkina and Nataliya Gevorkyan. The hearing will resume on Thursday, July 2 at 10:30 a.m. Moscow time.
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Courtroom Update: June 29, 2009
This summary of the trial was reported from the Moscow courtroom. Today, in a conversation with the defence attorneys, Judge Danilkin categorically refused to grant further requests for interviews with Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The prosecution presented a Statement of Commissioners regarding oil exports conducted by YUKOS (Volume 91). Defense attorney Alexey Miroshnichenko routinely pointed out that the document had not been read in full. Platon Lebedev also commented on the document saying that the amounts and prices for the exported oil indicated in the Statement had been deliberately undisclosed by the prosecution. The prosecution then moved on to Volume 92. Khodorkovsky’s mother and daughter Natya also attended today’s hearing. The trial will resume on June 30 at 10:30.
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- Global Issues
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Opening Up Russia's Economy
The ongoing trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev symbolizes “all that is wrong with the Russian system,” says Stephen Bank, a research professor... Read More »
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Experts Urge President Obama to Make Democracy, Human Rights a Priority on Russia Trip
In a letter to the US president, experts say Obama must meet with rights campaigners and “assert the universality of human rights and the link between democra... Read More »
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Kremlin May Tighten Up Internet Use in Russia
There have been recent signs that the Russian government may start cracking down harder on its regulation of free speech on the internet - the "last remaining s... Read More »
About the Center
The Khodorkovsky & Lebedev Communications Center Web site was developed by the international legal team of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev to tell the story of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev to raise awareness of their status in Russia as political prisoners.
MBK Press Office
E: mbkpress@tetra-strategy.co.uk
T: +44 (0) 20 7823 4608
What Others are Saying
"Medvedev cannot shrug off his responsibility for this case. His credibility is on the line...The persecution of regime critics and show trials against uncomfortable businessmen greatly damage Russia's image and scare off investors. The country cannot afford for that to happen in times of economic crisis."
Marieluise Beck, German MP
The Bigger Picture
Events in Russia have always been important to the United States and the European Union, and it is clear that the relationship between these nations is strained. Learn more »
"This is a case of selective jurisprudence and of disproportionate brutality that is counterproductive for the state itself."
Igor Yurgens, a senior aide to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
The Bigger Picture
Investors and businesses interpreted the attack on YUKOS and arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky in 2003 to be an attack on property rights, inflicting billions of dollars of damage to the Russian economy. Learn more »
"It is essential that society's elite speaks with one voice and calls not for a fair trial but for an immediate end to the Yukos affair; just as dissidents in Soviet times demanded not fair trials but the release of all political prisoners."
Lev Ponomarev, a veteran Russian human rights advocate
The Bigger Picture
Khodorkovsky was a well-known critic of corruption in government. His politically motivated arrest was a severe setback for the development of civil society in Russia. Learn more »