The US on Monday denounced a Russian court’s conviction of jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, voicing deep concern at the verdict and warning it risked tarnishing Moscow’s reputation.
“We are deeply concerned that a Russian judge today has indicated that for a second time Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev will be convicted,” said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, traveling in Hawaii with US President Barack Obama.
Khodorkovsky and co--accused Platon Lebedev, already in prison on previous fraud charges, were convicted on Monday on -embezzlement and money laundering charges.
Khodorkovsky, the head of the now-defunct Yukos oil giant, insists the trial was politically motivated by his support for Russia’s opposition.
“We are troubled by the allegations of serious due process violations and what appears to be an abusive use of the legal system for improper ends,” Gibbs said. “The apparent selective application of the law to these individuals undermines Russia’s reputation as a country committed to deepening the rule of law.”
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton earlier said the -verdict “raises serious questions about selective prosecution — and about the rule of law being overshadowed by political considerations.”
“This and similar cases have a negative impact on Russia’s reputation for fulfilling its international human rights obligations and improving its investment climate,” the chief US diplomat said in a statement.
Once Russia’s richest man, Khodorkovsky’s release on his first conviction was scheduled for next year, but then he was put on trial last year on charges of money laundering and embezzlement, deemed trumped-up by his supporters.
It was not clear in Moscow when the final sentence would be delivered and Clinton said the US would monitor the appeals process.
Gibbs said Russia was undermining its rule of law, bilateral ties with Washington and its ability to move forward as a modern nation.
“The Obama administration stands in solidarity with the many people in the Russian government, in the legal system and in civil society who are committed to strengthening the rule of law and deepening the commitment to universal values enshrined in the Russian Constitution,” he said.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese