Listener: Good evening. You know, in Paris Putin made a speech and compared Khodorkovsky with Al Capone. Had he a moral right? Can I call Putin a chief, a mean man and Hitler, then?Vladimir Kara-Murza (the anchoman): How are these statements ethical, that the «Yukos» prisoners are imputed of kidnapping, people’s disappearance, although neither in the first trial, nor in the second one there are such episodes; it concerned only Leonid Nevzlin and Alexey Pichugin, but it doesn’t concern Khodorkovsky and Lebedev?
Alexey Kondaurov (former head of the Analytical department of the concern «Yukos», former State Duma deputy):
It doesn’t concern Khodorkovsky, and there weren’t brought any charges against Khodorkovsky. The matter is not kidnapping, but people’s assassinations. I would advise Mr. Putin (he has a big stuff of lawyers) to select some panel of experts who surround him, of different qualification, for to study Pichugin’s and Nevzlin’s case and to see how well-grounded the charges are. To my mind, the charges are zero there. And that fact, that Leonid Nevzlin who is sentenced to life imprisonment, travels all over the world and makes statements at very serious congresses, he is everywhere welcomed, the heads of nations meet with him – this is evidence to that, although officially, I repeat, he is sentenced to life imprisonment, as I understand, he is wanted, but he meets at summits. And the heads of nations who meet with him, demonstrate their attitude to those case files which are presented in the court and on the ground of which Leonid Nevzlin is convicted. That’s why in this situation making such statements Mr. Putin looks absolutely unconvincing and puts himself in an ambiguous position. That’s why before making such statements it would be better for him to give a command once again to the professionals who will express an objective opinion of professional specialists.
Vladimir Kara-Murza: I shall remind that it sounded for the first time at his birthday during the meeting with writers, when he answered at Alexander Arkhangelsky’s question whether one may mitigate the fate of the «Yukos» prisoners. Nearly two months have passed, and, nevertheless, it repeats itself.
Radio Liberty, program «Grani vremeni», 01.12.09
See also: Does Vladimir Putin wish Michail Khodorkovsky a long-life sentence?
