Lawyer Vadim Klyuvgant: Independent Court. The Collapse of Justice
In an opinion editorial for Vedomosti, Vadim Klyuvgant, a defence lawyer for Mikhail Khodorkovsky, comments that jury courts will have reduced power following Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's proposal to limit the types of cases juries can hear.
Commenting on the recent statement by Medvedev who is advocating removing jury courts from hearing trials involving criminal gangs, Klyuvgant said that if such an amendment to the Russian legislation is approved, "they will start finding criminal groups everywhere". He portrayed a sad scenario of a hopeless appeal process in which convicts would have no chance for early release. Finally, he outlined the formula of the collapse of justice in Russia: investigations without evidence, trials with no acquittal and punishment with no mercy.