Khodorkovsky Says New Charges A 'Shameful Farce'
Khodorkovsky and Lebedev are being held in this remand prison in Chita (ITAR-TASS)
In a statement on his website today, the former head of the now-bankrupt Yukos oil company said he had no doubt that "falsified evidence" and "testimony by perjurers" would quickly result in a new guilty verdict for him.
On February 5, prosecutors charged Khodorkovsky with money laundering and embezzlement. The same charges were also filed against Platon Lebedev, the former head of the Yukos financial arm.
Both men are already serving eight-year prison sentences for fraud and tax evasion.
The case against Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, was seen as a politically driven attack on an ambitious businessman who had become critical of President Vladimir Putin.
(with material from Interfax, AFP)
Demonstrators in Moscow carry a coffin with a television in it to protest government control over broadcasting (TASS file photo)
DO RUSSIANS LIKE THEIR GOVERNMENT? During a briefing at RFE/RL's Washington office on November 15, Richard Rose, director of the Center for the Study of Public Policy at the University of Aberdeen, discussed the results of 14 surveys he has conducted since 1992 on Russian public opinion about democracy and the country's development. He discussed the implications of these opinions for relations with the West and for Russia's 2008 presidential election.
LISTEN
Listen to the complete discussion (about 42 minutes):
Real Audio
Windows Media
RELATED ARTICLES
U.S. Election Expected To Chill Relations With Moscow
Are Mayors Next 'Power Vertical' Victim?
Monarchist Nostalgia Remains Powerful
Russian Election Commission Rejects Third-Term Appeal
Romanov Burial May Be Part Of Kremlin Image Campaign
ARCHIVE
All of RFE/RL's English-language coverage of
Russia.
UPDATED CONSTANTLY: Visit RFE/RL's Russian-language website, featuring news, analysis, features, streaming audio, and more, in Russian, from RFE/RL's Russian Service.