Interfax : European MPs call for moving Khodorkovsky to jail near Moscow

OSCOW. July 14 (Interfax) - Members of the European parliament
have called for transferring former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky from
Siberia to a prison near Moscow and guaranteeing him a fair trail. The
request is addressed to President Vladimir Putin in an open letter
posted on Khodorkovsky's official website.
The G8 presidency and St. Petersburg summit can become a good
chance for Russia to get rid of accusations of brutal treatment of
Khodorkovsky, the prisoner, the letter says. It invites Putin to move
Khodorkovsky to a prison near Moscow in keeping with Russian law and
guaranteeing him a fair trial as soon as possible.
Over 100 members of the European parliament from 23 EU countries
expressed concern over the conditions of Khodorkovsky's confinement.
They view him as a political prisoner, and his trial, a parody of
justice.
The signatories include Hans-Gert Poettering, head of the European
People's Party, and Elmar Brok, head of the International Affairs
Committee of the European Parliament.