Amnesty International Highlights Khodorkovsky and Aleksanyan Abuses in 2009 Human Rights Report
The trials and treatment of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Vasily Aleksanyan were included in Amnesty International's 2009 Human Rights Report as evidence of Russia's "lack of respect for the rule of law".
Commenting on Mikhail Khodorkovsky's trial, the report states that in 2008, he was denied parole, unlawfully punished and placed in a detention center with "constrained access to their lawyers and families".
Meanwhile, Vasily Aleksanyan, who had previously been denied adequate medical treatment for HIV/AIDS, was kept in pre-trial detention which was "repeatedly extended during the year". The report notes that he was released on bail in December 2008, only after a court decision. Aleksanyan has also stated that he was medical treatment in exchange for making incriminating statements against Khodorkovsky.