MOSCOW: Lawyers for Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the imprisoned former chairman of Yukos Oil and once Russia's richest person, filed a request for his early parole on Wednesday, hoping to take advantage, they said, of the Kremlin's "course towards guaranteeing real independent courts." The lawyers submitted the request to the Ingoda District Court in Chita, the Siberian city where Khodorkovsky has been imprisoned since 2005, two years after his arrest on tax evasion charges that was widely seen as Kremlin-orchestrated punishment for his opposition to Vladimir Putin, who was then president and is now prime minister. Khodorkovsky became eligible for parole in October 2007 after serving half his eight-year sentence, but lawyers said at the time that several infractions of prison rules-including hoarding "unauthorized" lemons in his cell - had prevented his early release. Since Dmitry Medvedev became president in May, lawyers said, the legal atmosphere in the country has changed.
MOSCOW: Lawyers for Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the imprisoned former chairman of Yukos Oil and once Russia's richest person, filed a request for his early parole on Wednesday, hoping to take advantage, they said, of the Kremlin's "course towards guaranteeing real independent courts."
The lawyers submitted the request to the Ingoda District Court in Chita, the Siberian city where Khodorkovsky has been imprisoned since 2005, two years after his arrest on tax evasion charges that was widely seen as Kremlin-orchestrated punishment for his opposition to Vladimir Putin, who was then president and is now prime minister.
Khodorkovsky became eligible for parole in October 2007 after serving half his eight-year sentence, but lawyers said at the time that several infractions of prison rules-including hoarding "unauthorized" lemons in his cell - had prevented his early release.
Since Dmitry Medvedev became president in May, lawyers said, the legal atmosphere in the country has changed.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday backed a second mandate for European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and played down recent remarks critical of the body. "Our candidate is Barroso," Berlusconi said at a joint news conference with the visiting former Portuguese prime minister, whose five-year term ends next year. Barroso, 52, "is the best man yesterday and today," the Italian leader said. "He's an intelligent and well-prepared man," said Berlusconi, who was bristling with criticism of the European Commission just weeks ago. "There is much to change in ... the attitude of the European commissioners, who leave governments in difficulties with their declarations," he said at last month's EU summit, his first since returning to power in April elections. "Governments should not have to find themselves under the newspaper spotlight every three days thanks to their statements," Berlusconi said.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday backed a second mandate for European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and played down recent remarks critical of the body.
"Our candidate is Barroso," Berlusconi said at a joint news conference with the visiting former Portuguese prime minister, whose five-year term ends next year. Barroso, 52, "is the best man yesterday and today," the Italian leader said.
"He's an intelligent and well-prepared man," said Berlusconi, who was bristling with criticism of the European Commission just weeks ago.
"There is much to change in ... the attitude of the European commissioners, who leave governments in difficulties with their declarations," he said at last month's EU summit, his first since returning to power in April elections.
"Governments should not have to find themselves under the newspaper spotlight every three days thanks to their statements," Berlusconi said.
indeed not! especially when it's such a simple matter to subsidise political journalists to keep them codependently fawning, and buy up the tv topography...
next installment:
Barroso pushes for Euronews to stop its 'no comment' feature, Milliband proposes immunity for all euro-criminals with incomes of €100,000+, and a new football trophy is named after Piebags, for his sterling work in getting eastern europe to go nukular. (hey you want the goodies, so get with the program) .
hey, if it works for the cavalier, it must be good for all, right?
kinda redefines the word, lol. ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
Maybe if I actually study I'll pass next year :-P When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
