Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s defence team are demanding termination of criminal proceedings against Khodorkovsky and Lebedev and their immediate release in a supervisory appeal filed to the Chairman of the Russian Supreme Court, Vyacheslav Lebedev.

Through the supervisory appeal, the defence team are demanding the cancellation of the November 13, 2013 ruling of the Supreme Court which rejected the defence’s earlier September 17, 2013 appeal to the Presidium of the Supreme Court.  Had this been successful, the original judgment handed down to Khodorkovsky and Lebedev at the close of their second trial would have been reviewed and subsequently cancelled.

Lawyers are also appealing against the Moscow Khamovnichesky district court ruling handed down on December 27, 2010, the ruling of the Judicial Collegium for Criminal cases of the Moscow City Court handed down on May 24, 2011, the ruling of the Presidium of the Moscow City Court handed down on December 20, 2012, and the ruling of the Supreme Court handed down on August 6, 2013.

See the original text of the supervisory appeal below.

Khodorkovsky’s lawyer Vadim Klyuvgant commented:

“We continue to objectively and conclusively expose the illegitimacy of the Khamovnichesky Court sentence and the consequential  illegitimacy of the decisions taken by higher courts. We seek the cancellation of these decisions and the termination of reprisals against Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev. Now our addressee is the Chairman of the Russian Supreme Court, Vyacheslav Lebedev, who has repeatedly said that he will have his say in this matter. Dear Vyacheslav Mikhailovich, we look forward to your words. Despite everything, we hope that this will finally be the word of truth.”