Khodorkovsky & Lebedev Communications Center

Basmanny Court Justice Elena Yarlykova has been dismissed following a "professional misconduct" incident where she mistakenly released a prisoner during a trial hearing.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky's defence lawyer, Yuri Schmidt, commented: "I do not know how far Yelena Yarlykova is to blame. Perhaps, she really did not know that she was releasing the wrong person, which the Moscow City Court now accuses her of doing. I cannot say for certain because I am not familiar with the circumstances. I do know that she was the only judge in Moscow to take an independent decision on a major issue concerning the YUKOS affair."