Khodorkovsky’s lawyers turn to Chita Region Court

Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s defence team have made a formal appeal to the Ingodinsky district court against the ruling of the Judge Igor Falileyev, who turned down their client’s application for parole. Comments about the records of the hearing were also forwarded to the superior court.

The prisoner’s defence attorneys are requesting that the Ingodinsky district court ruling be overturned. “The appeal contains criticism of the ruling and the arguments used to substantiate it. We assess those arguments as unlawful and unfounded,” noted Khodorkovsky’s lawyer Yury Schmidt.

“We are requesting that the petition for release on parole be re-examined by different judges,” says lawyer Vadim Klyuvgant. “Many of our arguments are not even mentioned in the court ruling; those that are, have been given an inadequate assessment in the document. The court, meanwhile, did not notice clear indications of falsification and inaccuracy in the arguments presented by the other side and used them, without any critical evaluation, as a foundation for its own decision.”

The appeal will be examined by the Chita Region Court but no earlier than October, the defence team suppose.