No mercy for the Putin-opponent: A Moscow court has sentenced the ex-oligarch Khodorkovsky, to a total of almost 14 years in prison. The judge's decision destroyed the hopes of Russian liberals to radical reforms and the enforcement ability of President Medvedev. The hopes of the defenders on a mild punishment was Judge Victor Danilkin destroyed even in the morning: was for an improvement of the indicted ex-oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky necessarily need an "isolation from the society." Then the judge announced the Moscow Chamowniki-court, the penalty for Russia's once richest man and his partner Platon Lebedev: 13.5 years in prison for embezzlement of 218 million tons of crude oil and money laundering.Thus, the Court follows essentially the prosecutor. The Khodorkovsky already served seven years in prison will count towards the sentence. Only in 2017 he is once again a free man Danilkins judge ruling not only about a half year-long process to complete one of the foremost critics of the Russian regime.
The judge's decision also sets the final point after a nearly two-year period of increasing expectations, President Dmitry Medvedev could start a radical liberalization of his country and emancipate itself from the legacy of his foster father Vladimir Putin. Above all, Russia's liberal elite had the outcome of the process, a clear signal and a clue for the further development of the country hoped.
Some of the demonstrators, who demanded before the court Chamowniki "Free Khodorkovsky" had stuck next to the image of a portrait of Medvedev's oligarchs. "Dmitry Anatolyevich (Medvedev, the editor), be a man: let Khodorkovsky and fire-free 'Putin, called for the followers of Russia's most famous prisoner Internet.
But in past months indicated that Medvedev probably lack the power and the will to break away from his mentor Putin. Whilst there was Medvedev Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, long before the door had to accept as a new town but Father Sergei Sobyanin loyal to Putin. Nor can the president initially stopped construction of a controversial highway is now being continued - made specifically along the originally planned route, against the environmentalists had front.
In the case of Khodorkovsky did not seem the hardliners prevailed in calling for a severe penalty possible. Putin had announced earlier that the "thief in prison" should. The trial ended as unworthy farce. Only judges Danilkin postponed without giving reasons the start of the hearing of 15 December to 27 December - closer to New Year's Eve and then early 10-day state holiday that once donated Putin the country.
A delay in any case was not due to the fact that Danilkin more time for the formulation of the appeal would auserbeten: It was in large part almost identical to the indictment. For critical Russian daily newspapers is therefore already a mockery of "copy-and-paste" the judicial speech, a law by the method of "copy and paste.
and could neither lawyers, accused or trial observers to follow his remarks - had in sorting it Danilkin judge then in such a hurry that he spent four days runterratterte sentence by sentence. The journalist Alexander Minkin had run with a recording device in the courtroom and tried to reconstruct some quotes later, but on the tapes was only "noise with elements of noise" - a vernuschelter verdict "on behalf of the Russian Federation It must have been a member of.
Putin's party "United Russia" in order as the deputy Yevgeny Fedorov in the embarrassing showing a testament to the "independence of the Russian Justice" to see. Once read Judge Danilkin unmoved before witnesses, who were accidentally appeared between the pages of the Court advised - just as he saw the text on the grounds even for the first time "Danilkin has made a choice," said the lawyer Genri Reznik, a member of the Russian Public Chamber, a civil society advisory body to the Kremlin.
The choice of the judge much on Putin. Now multiply again the speculation that again in the presidential elections in 2012 Vladimir Putin compete. He still did not comment definitively, nor shall make themselves Medvedev hopes for a second term, but then only with the approval and under the supervision of Putin.
Khodorkovsky, the process showed that Medvedev "is not an independent politician," said Alexander Prokhanov, editor in chief of the national-patriotic newspaper Sawtra - Tomorrow ". The President was rather "a transparent shadow Putin.
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- A Prisoner in Putin's Russia (28/12/2010)
- "Moscow - Russian Oil Tycoon Sentenced to 13.5 Years" and related posts (30/12/2010)
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