Putin can appear in "black list" of the European Union because of his participation in Michael Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev's case. It was informed on January, 17th by weekly magazine The New Times being issued each Monday which quotes radio station "Echo of Moscow". Resources the edition refers to are not specified.
Vice-premier Igor Sechin could also appear in the list, according to The New Times as well as inspectors, public prosecutors and judges directly engaged in "YUKOS" case. Figurants of the list, according to magazine, can be refused visas. Besides, their bank accounts could be frozen.
"Europe sticks at nothing that human rights in Russia were observed", - the deputy of European Parliament Christina Ojuland declared in interview to The New Times.
Earlier appeals to introduction of visa and financial sanctions in relation to the Russian officials involved in process over figurants of "YUKOS" case were heard in Euro Parliament. The president of Euro Parliament Jerzy Buzek named process over Khodorkovsky and Lebedev "a litmus piece of paper" of respect of legality and human rights in Russia.
In the middle of December, 2010 deputies of Euro Parliament by majority of votes already approved resolution recommending to members of the European Union to freeze actives of 60 Russian officials presumably involved in death of the lawyer Sergey Magnitsky. Possibility of similar measures is discussed also in the USA.
- Similar prospect is serious pressure upon Putin, - editor-in-chief of FORUM.msk Anatoly Baranov considers. - That's the difference between Putin also and Lukashenko that the last in fact doesn't care, if he would be or not permitted to go the European Union, while it's not indifferent to the Russian "national leader". Putin is already quite old and it's important for him not only to save up what he got during back-breaking work on galleys - probably, today almost all Russian agents-illegal immigrants are engaged in it - but also to use it. What's use of billions which you can not spend at own discretion? Sochi, of course, is a good place but would be desirable, probably, to drink Bavarian beer in Bavaria, to go to a summer residence of friend Berlusconi and Paris - they say, is worth sacrifice... that is financial transparency. He can lose all these at once - then there's only one way - to Shujskaya Chupa, in the track of the first president, to drink vodka and play accordion. There it is possible to wait for the provincial commissioner Yurovskoj - one holy man also built residence on the seaside, liked to chop firewood... Later, probably, he can be canonized, it's better if without being martyr...
