Russian Courts Systemically Politically Corrupt, Report Says
A special report examining "politically motivated abuses" across Russia has brought the country's legal system and dismal human rights record under further scrutiny.
Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, a former German minister of justice who also prepared the report, commented that Russia is "still struggling with the legacy of its Soviet past," and that prosecutors and judges alike enjoy an "almost unchecked" level of power. Referring to a practice known as "telephone justice," Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger adds that "Russian judges are now so worried about making a mistake and being disciplined or dismissed that they pick up the phone themselves to ask for instructions." Meanwhile, defense lawyers are "frequently subjected to searches and seizures and other forms of pressure."
Referring specifically to the ongoing Khodorkovsky trial, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger notes that this trial, on charges that seem to "contradict his earlier conviction," clearly reflects President Medvedev's own failure to fight against "legal nihilism."