Passerby Convicted of Injuring Policeman

Sergey Makhnatkin, 56, who was detained by the police at an opposition meeting held on December 31, 2009, was sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment for allegedly breaking the nose of a policeman. The demonstration was held in support of Article 31 of the Russian Constitution (establishing the freedom of demonstrations) and was dispersed by the police. Makhnatkin, who is not a member of any political organization, says he simply passed by and made a remark to a police officer, who was dragging a 70 year-old woman (oppositionist Raisa Vavilova) into a police bus; in response to Makhnatkin’s comment, the policemen seized and beat him. The next day Makhnatkin was released, but five months later, he was re-arrested and charged with attacking a police officer.

http://lenta.ru/news/2010/06/09/time/
http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1383805&NodesID=6

Austria Investigates into Belarus President’s Holidays

Salzburg prosecutors launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the jaunt taken by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, along with friends and members of his family, in 2002 to the Austrian Alps. Allegedly, the Austrian National Olympic Committee invited him to take this trip to avoid the EU entry ban that was in place for Lukashenko at the time. Lukashenko’s €200,000 bill was also allegedly paid by the commercial group “Casinos Austria.” According to Leo Wallner, then National Olympic Committee head and the owner of Casinos Austria, this was done “in the interests of Austrian business.” Indeed, following Lukashenko’s trip, a number of large Belarus enterprises were transferred to Austrian owners.

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1383430

Supreme Court Allows Airlines to Change Planes

Russia’s Supreme Court dismissed the suit of a customer who sought damages from an airline for changing aircraft without notice. The customer bought a ticket for a Boeing flight, but because of “mechanical problems,” the airline changed the plane to a Yak-42 (a Russian mid-range passenger jet alleged to be less comfortable) at the last moment. The court held that the airline acted in compliance with applicable governmental regulations.

http://lenta.ru/news/2010/06/08/whatever/

Judge Refuses to Hear American Expert

In the trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, the defense called Kevin Dages, a U.S. specialist in economics and finance, as an expert witness. The defense sought to have Dages opine that certain transactions of YUKOS (dividend payouts and promissory note deals) did not constitute “embezzlement” as the prosecution insists. The judge, however, upheld the prosecutor’s request to exclude Dages on the grounds that he “is not a specialist in Russian law, is not acquainted with the economic and financial activities of YUKOS, was not invited to participate in the case by the court or by the investigators, and was not familiar with the case file.” The Russian court became the first court to call into question Dages’ professional competence following his participation in more than 80 cases in the U.S. and Europe.

http://gazeta.ru/politics/2010/06/07_a_3381334.shtml
http://www.khodorkovskycenter.com/news-resources/stories/judge-questions-competence-international-expert

New York Times Focuses on Yevloyev Killing

The New York Times published an extensive article about the investigation of the 2008 killing of Ingushetia oppositionist Magomed Yevloyev, which resulted in a prosecution for negligent homicide rather than murder. The article is the second in a series on abuse of power in law enforcement in Russia.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/world/europe/04impunity.html

Policeman Lies in Ambush for 17 Years

A court in St. Petersburg dismissed the claim of a former policeman to ownership of an apartment based on the usucapion (adverse possession) statute. The court was apparently skeptical of the open character of the possession in light of the former policeman's assertion that he "lay in ambush" in the apartment for 17 years.

http://russian-law.livejournal.com/54550.html

Professors Charged with Espionage

Svyatoslav Bobyshev and Evgeny Afanasyev, professors at the Baltic State Technical University (St. Petersburg), were arrested on espionage charges. They deny any wrongdoing. Although they gave lectures at a Chinese university, they say the content of the lectures was approved by three special commissions.

http://lenta.ru/news/2010/06/02/bobyshev/

Former Central Bank Head Testifies in Favor of Khodorkovsky

In the trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, the defense called Viktor Gerashchenko, formerly the Central Bank head, later Chairman of the Board of Directors of Yukos (appointed in 2004 after Khodorkovsky's arrest), as a witness. Gerashchenko stated that the charges brought against the defendants (stealing all oil extracted by Yukos) are “a load of rubbish” (chush sobachya). According to Gerashchenko, if the oil had been stolen, Yukos could not have been the biggest oil company in Russia.

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1379278&NodesID=6

U.S. Expert Testifies in Favor of Khodorkovsky

In the trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev the defense called U.S energy specialist S. Wesley Haun as an expert witness. Haun opined that the charges (stealing all oil extracted by Yukos) are refuted by the company's achievements under the defendants' management. He also opined that Yukos's business practices were similar to those of other Russian and foreign oil companies. In spite of an impressive CV, the prosecution refuses to recognize Haun as an expert. "We don't care what a foreign citizen can tell us," Prosecutor Gyulchekhra Ibragimova stated.

http://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2010/05/31_a_3377674.shtml