On the recordDecember 8, 2010
in June of this year, I joined my friend and colleague, Senator Ben Cardin, on the Senate floor to discuss an issue of great concern to both of us and to many Americans and to many advocates of freedom and the rule of law internationally. That issue is the ongoing trial in Russia of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner, Platon Lebedev. This trial, or what Gary Kasparov writing for the Wall Street Journal called ``the latest judicial travesty,'' came to a close November 2. A decision by the court is expected on December 15. Khodorkovsky was first arrested in 2003 and convicted in 2005. This trial was unfair and politically motivated according to Western human rights groups, Western media, and many other independent observers. There is broad opinion that this second trial has been staged, has not provided the opportunity to judge facts in a clear, impartial manner, and in general has not honored the rule of law. I know this is not a jury trial. The finder of fact is a single judge. Many have claimed that this judge has come under both direct and indirect pressure in this case. In addition, the prosecution has used language in closing arguments as if a guilty verdict had already been rendered. Sadly, there seems to be little hope for a just verdict from this second trial, and now Khodorkovsky and Lebedev will face the prospect of many more years in jail.
