June will be a cruel month in Russia's courts. On June 16th, the rebellious oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his comrade-in-arms Platon Lebedev finally began to face the judges of the Meshchansky district court. No doubt, this case will attract the Russian and international press. Hearings began just the day before Khodorkovsky's trial opened in another case that is no less significant. But this case is not about oligarchs trying to interfere in politics; it is about a group of artists and curators whose professional activities have unexpectedly turned into a political hot potato.
June will be a cruel month in Russia's courts. On June 16th, the rebellious oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his comrade-in-arms Platon Lebedev finally began to face the judges of the Meshchansky district court. No doubt, this case will attract the Russian and international press. Hearings began just the day before Khodorkovsky's trial opened in another case that is no less significant. But this case is not about oligarchs trying to interfere in politics; it is about a group of artists and curators whose professional activities have unexpectedly turned into a political hot potato.