Voorzitter van het Europees Parlement teleurgesteld over Khodorkovsky´s proces (en)

European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek i is disappointed at the news that a Moscow court rejected the appeal of the imprisoned former Yukos Oil chief executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his former associate Platon Lebedev.

The President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek said:

"I am very disappointed. The reduction by just one year of their sentence is not serious. This case was marred with alleged violations of due process and fair trial from the very start. It shows unfortunately that there is still a very long path for Russia to take to improve its rule of law and protection of human rights. Words should be followed by concrete acts. Modernisation of Russia can be successful only if it is based on establishment of a functioning system of rule of law, independent and impartial judiciary and a strong civil society.

I would like to express my deep solidarity with Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Platon Lebedev and their families."

Note to editors:

During his visit to Moscow, last year, the President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek raised the case of Mr Khodorkovsky with President Medvedev and other Russian authorities, as well as the unresolved murder cases of journalists Anna Politkovskaya, Natalia Estemirova and Anastasia Barburova and the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

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