“The case goes far beyond Khodorkovsky’s fate”

Interviewer: Daniel-C. Schmidt

Originally published in German in Die Welt, 13 March 2009

Defense lawyer Robert Amsterdam discusses the proceedings against the ex-Yukos head and the power demands of the Russian elite

Berlin – Last week the second trial against Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the ex-head of Yukos oil company began. He has been in prison since 2003, and was already sentenced to eight years behind bars. Now he is once again being accused of fraud, defalcation, and money laundering into the billions. His lawyer Robert R. Amsterdam believes this is a show trial: “The case is very clearly politically motivated.”

Mr. Amsterdam, how is Mikhail Khodorkovsky doing?

He has been living in poor conditions in a Siberian prison for five and a half years. Now he is in Moscow, at least closer to his family. That helps him. He is very strong and determined to prove his innocence.