Second appeal filed against Khodorkovsky tax fraud conviction News
Second appeal filed against Khodorkovsky tax fraud conviction

[JURIST] Lawyers for Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky [advocacy profile; JURIST news archive] announced Friday that they have filed a second appeal [JURIST report] to overturn Khodorkovsky's conviction on tax evasion and fraud charges [JURIST report]. Khodorkovsky, former head of oil company Yukos, and his business partner Platon Lebedev were sentenced to nine years in prison [JURIST report], though the sentence was reduced to eight [JURIST report] after their first appeal in September. Khodorkovsky's lawyers are asking that the sentence be overturned and the case be closed. Khodorkovsky's defense website has a press release and an overview of the Russian appeals process. MosNews has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

South Africa becomes first country on continent to legalize same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriages became legal in South Africa on November 30, 2006 as the country's Civil Union Act, 2006 went into effect, making South Africa the only country on the African continent to legalize same-sex marriage. Read the Civil Union Act, 2006.