Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Russia

Court Finds Khodorkovsky's Prison Treatment Unlawful

Mikhail Khodorkovsky (file photo) (ITAR-TASS)

April 18, 2006 -- A court in Siberia has ruled that the temporary transfer of imprisoned oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky to solitary confinement was unlawful.

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April 18, 2006

Khodorkovsky was kept in isolation for five days in January as punishment for possession of Justice Ministry documents on inmates' rights. But Russian news agencies report that the court in Krasnokamensk, where the prison is located, agreed with Khodorkovsky's lawyers that the documents were not secret or forbidden.

The ruling came days after Khodorkovsky said he had been hospitalized after being attacked by a fellow inmate.

The former CEO of Yukos, Khodorkovsky is serving an eight-year prison sentence for tax evasion and fraud. Critics say his conviction was punishment by Russian authorities for his political ambitions.

(AP)

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