Opinions Inside Russia

The murdered investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya; Soviet dissidents and Russian rights activists Lev Ponomarev and Liudmila Alekseeva; Chess champion Garry Kasparov; the list of prominent and respected Russian supporters of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev goes on.

Beginning with the resignation of Vladimir Putin's own chief of staff, Alexander Voloshin, over Khodorkovsky's arrest, and the parliamentarians who said they would vouch for Khodorkovsky in order to secure his release on bail during the pre-trial period, the Yukos case sparked an uproar among many Russians who saw their country headed down the wrong path. Indeed, it was the Kremlin's own economic advisor, Andrei Illarionov, who denounced the sale of Yukos' jewel asset as the "scam of the year."

At times, hundreds protest the incarceration of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev. Protesters are usually met with stiff and disproportionate police response, with arrests and the dispersal of supporters. In September 2010, the independent Levada Center polled Russians and found that only 13% of the respondents said that they believed the prosecutors' arguments in the second Khodorkovsky-Lebedev trial.

It is also true that many in Russia saw a form of vindication in Khodorkovsky's arrest and sentencing, as if his suffering could atone for the loss felt at the end of the Soviet Union or the anger over the oligarchs who acquired enormous wealth and fled Russia.

But there are also those who were imprisoned for criticizing the Soviet Union, those who denounced the end of independent media and viable opposition parties in Russia and those who believe Russia must first end rampant corruption in government and business before it can prosper. These are the people who write to Khodorkovsky in prison and tell him not to give up, who praise him for maintaining his dignity, and urge him to continue expressing his thoughts in the Russian and international media.

Russia's artistic community has also demonstrated support for Khodorkovsky and Lebedev.

Two exhibits were organized during the second trial to display artworks inspired by the courtroom's events. The "Drawing the Court" exhibition, which displayed submissions from artists across Russia expressing their interpretation of the trial, has been displayed in Moscow, Brussels and Paris to date.

Additionally, a series of cartoons posted weekly on Yezhednevny Zhurnal's website was put on display in an industrial Moscow gallery in early 2010.

Reactions to Verdict in Second Trial

Numerous figures within Russia, including opposition politicians, academics and government officials, spoke out publicly in reaction to the guilty verdict in the second trial of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev.

For human rights activist Lyudmila Alexeyeva, the outcome of the trial could have been predicted from the outset, but she "expected" the eventual verdict, believing "the judge would have had to have been a hero to have given an acquittal verdict."

Meanwhile, opposition politician and former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov called the second conviction of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev "nightmarish news...The conviction means trampled laws, rights and constitution."

Discussing the broader implications of the outcome of the trial, former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov commented: "[The verdict] is very important, not only for the future of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev, it's also important for the future of Russia."

Many opinion leaders in Russia believe the verdict reinforced the negative impact of the Yukos Affair on Russia's investment climate. German Gref, Chief Executive Officer of state-owned Sberbank and former Economics and Trade Minister, testified at the trial and commented after the verdict that this one case shows that there are "systematic issues that aren't resolved". Maria Lipman of the Carnegie Moscow Center concurred, adding: "The consequences will be hard for Russia as a country seeking to attract investment and will take a toll on its reputation internationally."

Implications for Russia

In a 2007 open letter, leading Russian human rights activists called the Yukos case "the first political show trial in the post-Stalin age, which introduced radical changes to the landscape of public politics and economics in this country." They demanded that Khodorkovsky and other political prisoners be released.

The December 2010 guilty verdict in the second Khodorkovsky-Lebedev trial, and the failure of the May 2011 appeal, have provided clear proof of the continued lack of independence of the Russian justice system. A small but influential group of corrupt officials triumphed in imposing their political and mercantile interests upon Russia's law enforcement and judicial bodies - exposing the fragility of the rule of law in this country that aspires yet continually fails to modernize. The outcome was an affront to President Dmitry Medvedev's efforts to reform Russia's justice system and to fight government corruption. In their zeal to convict the defendants, the authorities "criminalized" wholly legitimate business practices - and created an example now being followed in state-backed raiding of other private enterprises in Russia. For the Russian people, Russian and foreign investors, Russia's international peers and foreign tribunals, the verdict undermined human rights, property rights, economic vitality and trust in Russian government. In Russia, no one is safe from arbitrary abuse of the legal system at the hands of corrupt officials.

Many Russians believe that the outcome of the latest Khodorkovsky-Lebedev trial has had an impact on the future of Russia and its relations with the West. An already weak judicial system was dealt a significant blow by the second guilty verdict. Critics think the fate of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev has wider repercussions for Russia. Former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov commented: "Of course it [the verdict] will influence economic development and public attitude." The case has taken a tremendous toll on Russia's reputation as a country seeking to attract investment. In the past few years, Russia has been trying to improve its image to attract investors who previously avoided the country. Yet political interference in the judiciary is a deterrent to investment in the Russian market. Boris Nemtsov stated the case "will have far-reaching negative consequences for Russia. There will be capital flight from the country, a reduction in investment, business will emigrate and you can forget about innovation and modernization."

An acquittal of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev could have had a very positive impact. It would have shown foreign and Russian investors that Russia respects the rights of individuals and businesses and that the risks of working there were diminishing. This in turn may have stimulated the investment and business activity that are necessary for Russia to prosper. Instead, Russia's future path remains in doubt.

Many prominent figures in Russia have spoken out in support of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev before the second verdict: