17 November 2003 14:50
United Russia demands trial for man who published pro-Khodorkovsky leaflets
The pro-Kremlin United Russia party on Monday demanded the prosecutin of the man who printed and distributed leaflets supporting Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the major shareholder of the YUKOS Oil Company charged with tax evasion and fraud and currently in custody awaiting trial.
The leaflets entitled “Freedom to Khodorkovsky” were distributed in the South Russian city of Voronezh in late October. Aleksander Boldyrev, a candidate for place in the city Duma from the Union of Rightist Forces party paid his own money for the leaflets to be printed and distributed which was duly indicated on every copy.
A representative the United Russia party filed a complaint to the district electoral commission. It reads that the author of the leaflets, in essence, demanded from the court to release Khodorkovsky from custody which is an attempt to apply pressure to the court structures and thus can be qualified as the crime under article 294 of the Russian Criminal Code – impeding the execution of justice and preliminary investigation.
The representative of the major pro-Kremlin parliamentary force continued with a request to make the author of the leaflets responsible. Article 294 allows for punishment of up to 4 years in prison.
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