Russia's tycoon 'show trial': Is Putin abusing his power?

The U.S. has strongly criticized the guilty verdict handed to jailed oil billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Was the Russian prime minister controlling his "Kafkaesque" trial?

Mikhail Khodorkovsky reportedly smiled and giggled as his guilty verdict was read Monday.
(Image credit: Corbis)

After a trial described as "Kafkaesque," a "farce," and a "show," one-time Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky has been found guilty of stealing 350 million tons of oil from his own companies, a crime some say would be all but impossible to carry out. The verdict handed down by a Russian court has been heavily criticized by the U.S., with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying it would have a "negative impact on Russia's reputation." Khodorkovsky — already in jail after a 2003 conviction for fraud and tax evasion — was an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, the former president turned prime minister, and many consider this ruling a form of revenge. Is this justice, or has Putin taken a personal vendetta too far?

Khodorkovsky is paying for taking on Putin: Khodorkovsky's "real crime" is posing a threat to Putin, says The Economist. He refused to be a "servile manager of Russia's natural resources," funded opposition parties, and lobbied against the former president's aim of "building an oil-fueled authoritarian regime." It was essential to that regime to have him jailed. This verdict is the clearest evidence yet that Putin has a near-dictatorial control over everything in Russia — even the law.

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