Council of Europe Raps Russia Over Yukos Case, Demands Khodorkovsky Release

The Council of Europe passed a resolution on Tuesday questioning the legitimacy of the arrest and prosecution by Russian authorities of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and other managers of the disintegrating Russian oil giant >Yukos, Radio Free Europe reports.

The resolution questions the fairness, impartiality, and objectivity of the authorities, who, it said, appeared to have acted excessively, disregarding fundamental rights of defense.

The many apparent flaws in the legal process, plus the political and economic background to the case, encouraged the view that legal action taken by Russian authorities went beyond norms of justice. Rather, the aim of the state appeared to weaken and intimidate political opponents and regain a strategic resource.

Khodorkovsky, who had financed opposition parties, was arrested in October 2003 and has been held in costody ever since. He is accused of fraud and failure to pay millions in taxes, and faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment if convicted.

Even before the report was passed Russia said it was disappointed with it, and would present a “dissenting opinion” at a PACE session this week.

The head of the Russian delegation and the State Duma Committee for International Affairs, Konstantin Kosachev, has said that the scope of the situation surrounding the embattled oil major “has not been fully reflected in the document”. The report contains references to lawyers and non-governmental organizations only.

Due to this, the content of the main report on Yukos “has disappointed Russia’s delegation”. Russia was expecting a more balanced assessment of the Yukos case, Kosachev pointed out.

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