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Medvedev orders to check Khodorkovsky, Lebedev verdicts validity

Medvedev gave the directions after the February 20 meeting with leaders of unregistered political parties

MOSCOW, March 5 (Itar-Tass) — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has given directions to the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office in accordance with the legal procedure to analyze the lawfulness and the validity of the guilty verdicts of the court against Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, the Kremlin press service said.

Medvedev gave the directions after the February 20 meeting with leaders of unregistered political parties. During the meeting, a list of 32 people was handed over to the president. The opposition asks to pardon the people. The list was handed over earlier to chairman of the presidential council for human rights Mikhail Fedotov.

The list also includes Alexei Pichugin, Zara Murtazaliyeva, Dmitry Baranovsky, Sergei Makhnatkin and Valentin Danilov.

After the meeting, co-chairman of the unregistered Party of People's Freedom (PARNAS) Vladimir Ryzhkov said that Medvedev had promised to clear it for each on the list how lawful was the verdict and establish whether there was political motivation.

Medvedev on Monday also ordered the Justice Ministry to give information about the grounds for the refusal to register the Party of People's Freedom.