[JURIST] Mikhail Khodorkovsky [MosNews profile; JURIST news archive; Khodorkovsky defense website], the former owner of Russian oil giant Yukos [corporate website] who was convicted of tax fraud last year and is now incarcerated in a Siberian prison [JURIST report], filed an appeal [press release] Tuesday in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) [official website] alleging that the Russian courts violated his due process rights. Khodorkovsky's lawyers announced their intention to appeal [JURIST report] last September, but estimate that the European court may not hear the appeal for as many as three years. Khodorkovsky has previously alleged that the Kremlin instigated his prosecution to keep him from growing too powerful and politically ambitious. Reuters has more.

Lawyers for Platon Lebedev [defense website], the former head of Russia's Menatep bank and a shareholder in Yukos who was tried concurrently with Khodorkovsky, also announced their own ECHR appeal [press release] Tuesday . Both Khodorkovsky and Lebedev were sentenced to 8-year prison terms. Radio Free Europe has more.