This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.
Considering that:
Mikhail
Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, Amnesty International prisoners
of conscience, have been imprisoned in Russia since 2003 and convicted
in two trials widely criticised as politically motivated and legally
flawed;
their case was the basis of Resolution 1418 (2005);
Resolution 1685 (2009), on allegations of politically
motivated abuses of criminal justice, cited their cases;
Resolution 1896 (2012) stated that 'the system [in Russia]
pressures judges to show loyalty to state bodies or certain officials
and to take into account political considerations...the most notorious
examples are the cases involving Yukos and Mr Mikhail Khodorkovsky;'
of the four applications each has lodged to the ECtHR
only one has come to judgment, which was favourable to the applicants;
their applications alleging violations during the first
trial, tabled in 2006 and 2005, respectively, remain unresolved
despite Mr Lebedev having been granted priority status.
The undersigned, members of the Parliamentary Assembly:
express their hope and confidence
that the ECtHR will deliver judgment without further delay on the cases
11082/06, 13772/05 and all other outstanding applications lodged
by Mr Khodorkovsky and Mr Lebedev.
