Defiant and unrepentant Khodorkovsky and Lebedev file petitions for parole

Author: Edwards Johnson Section: Major Events of the Month

Issue: June 2011, Vol. 6, No. 5

Tags: Lebedev

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Mercy & Justice

Ex-Yukos owner Mikhail Khodorkovsky and ex-Menatep CEO Platon Lebedev have filed petitions for parole at a Moscow court, as they had served over half of their designated terms, the court said. The procedure for applying for a parole does not require the applicant to recognize guilt. However, Khodorkovsky, in his petition, declared his innocence. “I don’t accept the guilty verdict, which I have challenged in the ECHR and Russian Supreme Courts. Also, I shall pay the fine, the validity of which is also being challenged, by the opportunities afforded me in my place of imprisonment.”