RUSSIA: PROTESTERS GATHER OUTSIDE COURT ON FIFTH DAY OF TYCOON MIKHAIL KHODORKOVSKY VERDICT HEARING

Record ID: 646939

  • Title: RUSSIA: PROTESTERS GATHER OUTSIDE COURT ON FIFTH DAY OF TYCOON MIKHAIL KHODORKOVSKY VERDICT HEARING
  • Date: 21st May 2005
  • Summary: (BN06) MOSCOW, RUSSIA (MAY 20, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. SLV EXTERIOR OF COURT/ REPORTERS OUTSIDE COURT/ POLICE LINED UP BEHIND BARRIERS; SLV PEOPLE ENTERING COURT/ SCU POLICEMAN (4 SHOTS) 0.26 2. SLV VEHICLES CARRYING FORMER YUKOS CHIEF MIKHAIL KHODORKOVSKY AND CO-DEFENDANT PLATON LEBEDEV ARRIVING AT COURT/ GATES OPENING AND CLOSING; SLV POLICE OUTSIDE COURT; HAS VEHICLES IN COURTYARD OF COURT, KHODORKOVSKY TAKEN OUT OF CAR, LEBEDEV TAKEN OUT OF CAR (3 SHOTS) 2.12 (W2) MOSCOW, RUSSIA (MAY 20, 2005) (REUTERS) 3. SLV LAWYERS ON THE DEFENCE TEAM OF MIKHAIL KHODORKOVSKY OUTSIDE COURT/POLICE 2.15 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROBERT AMSTERDAM, FROM KHODORKOVSKY'S TEAM OF AMERICAN LAWYERS SAYING: "Yesterday the office of the prosecutor issued a statement saying that there was pressure being put on the court by the press being here and by the lawyers making statements (to journalists). I want just to be clear that we agree that there has been pressure put on the court; however we think that the prosecution's applying of charges, of pseudo charges, which have been actually brought forward a few days before the court session, as well as the staged armed camp outside the court, actually represents pressure." 3.08 5. MV MEDIA AND LAWYERS NEAR ENTRANCE TO COURT; SLV POLICE OUTSIDE COURT; WIDE OF PROTEST BY PEOPLE, MOSTLY RUSSIAN PENSIONERS, AGAINST RUSSIAN TYCOON MIKHAIL KHODORKOVSKY AND IN SUPPORT OF THE COURT PROCESS (6 SHOTS) 3.40 6. BANNER READS: "Khodorkovsky: your money smells of blood" 3.47 7. 7. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) SERGEI, 55, A MOSCOW RESIDENT AT RALLY SAYING: "We are protesting in order to support the court; we support the court to make a lawful decision. The court is now in a very difficult position, as they are summing up the case not on an ordinary person, but on one of the wealthiest businessmen in Russia." 3.51 8. WIDE OF RALLY; CLOSE-UP OF WOMAN UNDER A BANNER WHICH READS: "Khodorkovsky go to jail" 3.57 9. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) AVTANDIL, A MOSCOW RESIDENT SAYING: "We all should protect our motherland and any rich person, whoever they are, must do something good (for their country)." 4.03 10. SLV POLICE OFFICERS; SLV YOUNG PEOPLE UNDER A BANNER WHICH READS: "Return money, raise student grants!" 4.14 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 5th June 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
  • Country: Russia
  • Reuters ID: LVAETPJAUYVK1NFVAPFP46DGW8S7
  • Story Text: Protesters gather outside Moscow court on fifth day
    of Russian tycoon Khodorkovsky's verdict hearing; lawyer
    rejects prosecution claims of "pressure" being put on the
    court.

    Judges on Friday (May 20, 2005) resumed summing up
    evidence on Friday (May 20) on the fifth day of a verdict
    hearing in the highly publicised fraud and tax evasion
    trial of
    Russian oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky and co-defendant
    Platon Lebedev.

    The three judges, sitting without a jury in a Moscow court, have
    said Khodorkovsky committed crimes relating to
    all seven charges, leaving no doubt the eventual verdict
    will be guilty.

    Khodorkovsky's lawyers say the judges are stringing out
    their judgement to kill off media interest and spare the
    Kremlin's embarrassment over a trial widely seen as an
    attempt by President Vladimir Putin's circle to crush a
    political rival.

    Robert Amsterdam, one of the lawyers on Khodorkovsky's
    U.S. defence team, rejected prosecution claims that the
    media presence outside the court and defence lawyers
    comments reported by journalists was placing the court
    judges under pressure.

    "Yesterday the office of the prosecutor issued a
    statement saying that there was pressure being put on the
    court by the press being here and by the lawyers making
    statements (to journalists). I want just to be clear that
    we agree that there has bee pressure put on the court;
    however we think that the prosecution's applying of
    charges, of pseudo charges, which have been actually
    brought forward a few days before the court session, as
    well as the staged armed camp outside the court, actually
    represents pressure," he said.

    For the fourth successive day, a crowd of people,
    mostly Russian pensioners, staged a rally outside the court
    accusing Khodorkovsky of theft and demanding justice be
    done.

    Sergei a 55-year-old Moscow Resident said: "We are
    protesting in order to support the court; we support the
    court to make a lawful decision. The court is now in a very
    difficult position, as they are summing up the case not on
    an ordinary person, but on one of the wealthiest
    businessmen in Russia."
    Avtandil said: "We all should protect our motherland
    and any rich person, whoever they are, must do something
    good (for their country)."
    Khodorkovsky, 41, once Russia's richest man and founder
    of the now stricken YUKOS oil firm, denies charges of fraud
    and tax evasion and has branded the trial a farce.

    The judges started reading their verdict on Monday. It
    had been expected to take days but could now run into
    weeks.



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