April 21, 2009 By James Kimer

Svetlana Bakhmina Granted Parole

bakhmina.jpgSeveral news outlets are reporting that a Russian court today has granted parole to the former Yukos lawyer, political prisoner, and mother of three Svetlana Bakhmina.  Here is an excerpt from the Moscow Times:

The Preobrazhensky District Court granted parole to Bakhmina, who was serving a 6 1/2-year term being convicted in April 2006 on charges of embezzlement and tax evasion.
 
She is one of several senior Yukos officials to be jailed since the company came under fire in 2003. Her bid to be released has become a cause celebre among prominent liberals and has even been backed by Kremlin supporters.

Several members of the Public Chamber have called for her release, as has former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.