European Parliament deputies suggested imposing possible economic and visa sanctions against Russian officials involved in Russian ex-oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky's trial and conviction, Russian business daily Kommersant said on Tuesday.
In late December, Moscow's Khamovniki District Court sentenced Khodorkovsky, the former CEO of the Yukos oil company, and his business partner Platon Lebedev to a total of 14 years in prison in a second trial involving Yukos assets. The two men, who already spent seven years in jail for fraud and tax evasion from their 2005 trial, could remain behind bars until 2017. The European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights was to discuss the verdict of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev on Monday.
The group of parliamentary deputies led by Estonian Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe deputy Kristiina Ojuland suggested imposing visa and economic sanctions for officials allegedly tied to the convictions of the two men.
Ojuland's press secretary, Joel Hirv, told Kommersant that the deputy suggested sanctions due to numerous violations in laws and human rights during the trial. Hirv said sanctions remain the only possible way to make Russian authorities obey laws, as the European Parliament representatives along with other European institutions have tried hard to convince their Russian colleagues to do so without apparent results.
Earlier Ojuland backed sanctions against Russian officials allegedly involved in the death of corporate lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a detention center in Moscow. Her proposal for sanctions against Russian officials in Khodorkovsky's case was strongly supported by her European colleagues.
Russia denies all accusations in legal and human rights violations, insisting Khodorkovsky and Lebedev have been justly convicted of serious economic crimes which in the United States would be punishable by life imprisonment.
"They [European Parliament deputies] are trying to frighten the judges of our court," deputy head of the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs Andrei Klimov said. "[Our] reaction is just the opposite. The politicization of the case prevents normal court proceedings."
"The selectivity of their [European Parliament deputies] decision is surprising," Klimov said.
Once Russia's richest man, Khodorkovsky has been found guilty of stealing 218 million tons of oil from his own company and laundering the proceeds, worth around $100 million.
Khodorkovsky and Lebedev have repeatedly denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated.
Many Western countries and organizations, including the United States and the European Union, have condemned the verdict as harsh and unfair, and expressed concern over the fact that the judicial system in Russia has shown no signs of improvement despite President Dmitry Medvedev's pledge to make it just and transparent.
Khodorkovsky and Lebedev's lawyers have already appealed the Khamovniki District Court's verdict.
MOSCOW, January 11 (RIA Novosti)
