There’s a great opinion article about the tragedy of Vasily Alexanyan by Trudy Rubin of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Rubin argues that even after the Yukos affair, “this blatant manipulation of courts and laws seems to have been insufficient for Kremlin bosses. Now they are willing to tolerate the effective murder of Aleksanian because he won’t give a false confession.” Rubin concludes that if president-to-be Dmitri Medvedev wants to make good on his promise to hold all accountable to the all, he will have to face the difficult challenge of addressing the abuses of executive powers over the courts.

Rubin: Vladimir Putin’s successor must address misuse of Russia’s laws Trudy Rubin – The Philadelphia Inquirer Another presidential campaign is under way this week – this one in Russia. On March 2, Russians will vote in a pro-forma election for a successor to KGB man Vladimir V. Putin. The Kremlin has handpicked a former law professor, Dmitry Medvedev, though Putin may try to remain the power behind the scenes. Medvedev, however, is trying to present a softer face than his mentor; he pledged in his first campaign speech last week to make everyone accountable before the law. Putin, by contrast, has used the law as a club to bludgeon opponents. If Medvedev means what he says, he ought to condemn a travesty of justice going on now in Moscow that makes Russia look as if it has reverted to the Stalin era.