'In effect, it is Russia that is on trial'

Russia's press is silent, but anxiety grows abroad


International Herald Tribune
Editorial, June 15

"The Russian government's fraud and tax evasion case against two billionaires, Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, [began on] Wednesday in a Moscow court. The trial has already attracted enormous attention; the extraordinary fortunes of the two defendants, and the parallel struggle for survival of the oil company that made them rich, Yukos, has turned this case into a microcosm of the struggles that are shaping the new Russia ... In effect, it is Russia and the rule of law that [are] on trial ...

"In the end, the critical question is not whether the court finds the two men guilty or not, but whether it succeeds in demonstrating that it has delivered justice ... Given Russia's past, few things could be more corrosive to democracy than a show trial."

Daily Telegraph
Editorial, June 17


"It is clear that President Vladimir Putin loathes [Mr Khodorkovsky], who in turn might choose to play the martyr. Whatever transpires, this is a highly politicised case governed by deals rather than due judicial process. The Yeltsin era may be reviled for its chaos, but it had more of the breath of freedom than Mr Putin's constricted form of democracy."

Times
Editorial, June 17


"Nothing about the run-up to the trial has suggested that the justice it dispenses will be either swift or impartial ... [The] trial opening brought no sense of catharsis. Within minutes, it was indefinitely adjourned because of the sudden illness of a defence lawyer ...

"Mr Putin, after taking power in 2000, pledged that privatised wealth wouldn't be redistributed if the oligarchs played straight in future; Mr Khodorkovsky promptly transformed Yukos into Russia's most transparent company, which is not necessarily much of a compliment. Investment in resource-rich Russia ... would be scared away if that pact with capital, and the trust it engendered, were broken. Judges and politicians should ponder these nuances before the trial resumes. The Khodorkovsky case, with all its subtleties and contradictions, is a true test of modern Russia."

Masha Lipman
Washington Post, June 16


"Mr Khodorkovsky's path to wealth may have been murky, but in this he was not different from other Russian tycoons. The transition from a nationalised economy to market capitalism was bound to be neither fair nor pretty. What set Mr Khodorkovsky apart was that after several years of predatory capitalist practices, he opted for business transparency and launched a large-scale philanthropy focused on development of civil society. Now Russian capitalists know better than to sponsor any organisation that looks even vaguely political.

"Mr Khodorkovsky had emerged as too big, and increasingly independent, a political and economic player. The Russian state came to regard him as a strong rival who had to be dealt with. Mr Putin's way of dealing with him was to destroy him. Russia is paying a very high price for its president's victory."


Bob Dole
Financial Times, June 16


"There is no question that Russia itself is now on trial ... Coincidentally, Moscow is right now desperately seeking full membership of the World Trade Organisation and 'fuller' membership of the Group of Eight advanced countries, in bids that would measurably enhance Russia's stature and credibility as a global leader. But does it qualify? Doubts and opposition are growing ...

"The return to authoritarian policies and unconstitutional processes has already begun to undermine the historic leap that Russia took when the Soviet system was pushed aside 13 years ago. Russia is at a crucial crossroads and must make a historic decision about its future path. The world is watching - and hoping - that the Russian government's own trial at this moment will result in a positive verdict for the country's prospects."

· Bob Dole is a former US Republican presidential candidate

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