"There's not a sane person who can understand what you have said." (Platon Lebedev, co-defendant of Khodorkovsky, addressing the court after listening to his sentence).
Former oil tycoon and billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his aide Platon Lebedev were sentenced to nine years in prison after two weeks (!) of hearing the court reading the verdict. Long verdict, short result - fraud and tax evasion - and as much as nine years in Russia's Gulag-like prisons.
It's been said many times that Khodorkovsky's trial is part of a Kremlin-driven campaign to punish him for funding oppositional parties and to stifle his own political ambitions.
Here are some interesting and important comments:
Khodorkovsky's mother, Marina, asked if she had expected the tough sentence: "Of course, I live in this country. ... I lost (hope) the day we elected Putin."
Boris Berezovsky, exiled Russian oligarch:
"As soon as Khodorkovsky was arrested, I predicted that he would spend the rest of the Putin era in jail. It's the logical conclusion to this kind of political system, the totalitarian regime that Putin represents."
Robert Amsterdam, Khodorkovsky's defense lawyer:
"Khodorkovsky and Lebedev were found guilty of entrepreneurship, of innovation and of transparency. And transparency is the one thing this government fears. Transparency is the one thing the power cannot stand. And so in a merciless, in a cruel, and in an arbitrary sentence they have sentenced the future of Russia to nine years without Khodorkovsky."
Tom Lantos, US Congressman (D-CA):
"It seems that this political trial before a kangaroo court has come to a shameful conclusion. The trend of centralization of power makes it impossible for us to continue viewing this country (Russia) as a democratic country."
George W. Bush, US President:
"It looked like Khodorkovsky was put in prison and then tried. We've expressed our concerns about the system. We think he is going to appeal, and then how the appeal will be handled..."
Contributed by Anton Verstakov (Russian Journalist)
