Supporters of former OAO Yukos Chief Executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky gathered in Moscow last week to celebrate his 44th birthday, and reports say that things went well enough.
Local radio station Echo Moskvy reported that 40 people gathered at Gogolevsky Boulevard on June 26 to wish Khodorkovsky good health and patience, after which they uncorked bottles of sparkling wine.
Notably, Echo Moskvy said the celebration passed without intervention by the police. If that sounds a bit odd, consider similar celebrations held in Chita, the Siberian town where Khordorkovsky is imprisoned.
Representatives of a company that produces and organizes fireworks were detained in Chita on June 26 for organizing a fireworks display to celebrate Khodorkovsky’s birthday.
Fireworks in Chita
A pyrotechnician and a driver who work for the company were brought to the Ingoda District Interior Department, along with a cameraman from a television company.
Later the same day, the organizer of the event, deputy chairman of the Chita public committee, which campaigns for Khodorkovsky’s release, also was taken into custody.
The official, Marina Savvateyeva, said she was brought to the police station by police officers from the Ingoda District Interior Department in Chita.
The Chita regional police denied that Savvateyeva had been detained, saying, “She was invited to the police department to provide explanations.” Invited? Hmmmm. That’s a good one. Were they having a party, too?
Savvateyeva was released later in the day, apparently after giving no explanations.
“Based on Article 51 of the Russian Constitution, I refused to give any explanations regarding the organization of a salute in honor of Khodorkovsky’s birthday,” Savvateyeva said.
“As far as I know, the two employees of the firework company who were detained on Tuesday morning are still at the Ingoda District Interior Department,” she said.
PWC under pressure
The cameraman and the employees of the fireworks company were eventually released after-as Savvateyeva put it-“the company’s manager presented a license to run this business.”
Speaking of business, Khordorkovsky’s defense team does not think the decision by PriceWaterhouseCooper to revoke Yukos’s audit reports for 1995-2004 will have any adverse effect on the new criminal case against their client.
“I do not think that this decision will have a negative effect,” said Khodorkovsky’s lawyer, Yuri Schmidt. “It is hard to draw any conclusions because the case is contradictory: On one hand, they claim that the money was stolen, but, on the other hand, they are claiming back taxes. What back taxes are they talking about if the money was stolen?”
PWC’s sudden about-face on Yukos comes after months of government pressure in which the firm’s Moscow office was subjected to a police raid and document seizures in March and the threat of having its license to operate in Russia revoked.
A PWC official said the withdrawal of the audits had nothing to do with the pressure on the firm.
