In preparation for this week’s trial testimony of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, defense lawyers Yuri Schmidt, Vadim Klyuvgant, Natalia Terekhova, Elena Liptser and Konstantin Rivkin held a press conference I was able to attend at the editorial offices of the «Osobaya bukva».

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Having known and followed the work of these lawyers for several years now, I can see how hard it is for them to perform their jobs in a situation when mere hopes that laws will be observed are not fulfilled by the judge and prosecutors on a daily basis.  This is made even harder by the fact that their clients have been behind bars for seven years now.

At the press conference the lawyers said that:

– the presentation of evidence by the party of the prosecution has left more questions than answers;
– the majority of the witnesses called by the procurators factually gave testimony in favor of the defendants. Not a single could find it in himself to confirm the «fact» of the involvement of the YUKOS management in the theft of 350 mln tonnes of oil, which is the subject of the court proceedings;