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28 December 2010
Last updated at 06:13 ET
Russia has accused Western nations of exerting "unacceptable" pressure over the trial of jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Russia's foreign ministry was reacting to criticism by the US and Germany on Monday after a second guilty verdict was delivered against Khodorkovsky.
Khodorkovsky, once seen as a potential threat to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, was convicted of embezzlement.
Khodorkovsky was first jailed in 2005, for fraud and tax evasion.
"Attempts to exert pressure on the court are unacceptable," the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.
"We expect everyone to mind his own business, both at home and in the international arena."
Assertions that justice was being applied selectively in Russia were, the statement said, "groundless".
The judge found Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev guilty of stealing from their own firm, Yukos, and laundering the proceeds.
Delivering the full verdict and sentence is expected to take several days.
The White House said it was "deeply concerned" about the verdict, calling it a "selective application" of justice.
Germany said the trial was "a step back".
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Russia's foreign ministry was reacting to criticism by the US and Germany on Monday after a second guilty verdict was delivered against Khodorkovsky.
Khodorkovsky, once seen as a potential threat to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, was convicted of embezzlement.
Khodorkovsky was first jailed in 2005, for fraud and tax evasion.
"Attempts to exert pressure on the court are unacceptable," the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.
"We expect everyone to mind his own business, both at home and in the international arena."
Assertions that justice was being applied selectively in Russia were, the statement said, "groundless".
The judge found Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev guilty of stealing from their own firm, Yukos, and laundering the proceeds.
Delivering the full verdict and sentence is expected to take several days.
The White House said it was "deeply concerned" about the verdict, calling it a "selective application" of justice.
Germany said the trial was "a step back".
Online Business Consulting | Internet Business Consulting