[JURIST] Britain's Law Society [profession website] has written a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling for an independent probe into the treatment of Svetlana Bakhmina, deputy general counsel of Russian oil company Yukos [corporate website; JURIST Hot Topic news archive]. Bakhmina was arrested in December and was allegedly subjected to harsh interrogation in breach of international law. Bakhmina, who remains in custody, has been accused of embezzlement [Kommersant report]. In a statement released at the time of Bakhmina's arrest, Yukos said that she was the third Yukos lawyer who had been questioned as part of the government's attempt to prevent the company to defend itself against having its assets seized. Yukos also said: "Our company has all grounds to announce that the activities of the Prosecutor General's Office are undisguised terror which can be compared to Stalin's terror of 1937 in its forms and methods." MosNews has more.