A former cellmate of jailed Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has filed for political asylum in Britain, saying he is being harrassed and pressured by the authorities, his lawyer said on Thursday. Alexander Kuchma slashed Khodorkovsky's face when they were cellmates at a correctional facility in the remote Chita region in April 2006. Kuchma later claimed he had attacked on orders from the prison authorities.
Kuchma has been released and now lives with his mother in Chita. His lawyer Vitaly Cherkasov said his client has recently noticed a number of suspicious incidents.
“His house was searched without any legal grounds, and he was visited by two people posing as army draft officials… although he is beyond draft age,” Cherkasov said.
Kuchma said the prison authorities had broken his arm because he failed to stab Khodorkovsky to death. Prison officials deny the charge, saying Kuchma broke his arm when he slipped and fell.
“He says suspicious cars have been following him, and I have asked him to be careful,” Cherkasov said, adding that he did not support Kuchma’s decision to seek political asylum.
“If a person is haunted and persecuted, then yes, he has the right to take such steps to provide for his own safety but I don’t see anything like that yet,” he said.
Kuchma has filed a lawsuit against the prison authorities. A court decision is expected next week on his appeal against a lower court’s refusal to launch an inquiry.
In 2006, Khodorkovsky was serving an eight-year sentence for fraud and tax evasion. He had his term extended by six years in a widely criticized trial in December last year. He is now expected to be released in 2016.
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