In a major victory for the Kremlin, the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday rejected oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky's claim that he was prosecuted for political reasons.
"I'm disappointed in the Court," said Lyudmilla Alexeyeva, a human-rights activist and frequent Kremlin critic, told the Interfax news agency. "This means the European Court is subject to pressure." The Strasbourg-based European Court is the continent's highest bench for human-rights issues and is frequently the court of last resort for defendants who claim they can't get justice in their home countries. The Court frequently rules against Russia, but usually in lower-profile cases.
The allegation of political motivation is also a key component of pending claims against the Russian government by Yukos investors, who are seeking tens of billions of dollars in compensation for what they charge was illegal nationalization. One such case is pending in the European Court.
