Russia’s Oligarchs on Trial is the heading that the U.K. Guardian gave to three letters to the editor. The first letter to the editor pretty much spells out my initial reactions to the story of the conviction of Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

The ownership of large tracts of the Russian state by the oligarchs is a poisonous legacy of Yeltsin, … In an ideal world, the oligarchs, who achieved their fabulous personal wealth through their grossly immoral carpetbagging during the chaos of the breakup of the USSR, should all be dispossessed and slung in jail.

The last letter put it in terms of an analogy comparing criticism of the “selective prosecutions”:

is like saying that because a supermarket cannot prosecute all shoplifters, it should not prosecute any.

As I said, this mirrors my own initial reaction.  I don’t know the details of the case against Khodorovsky nor the details of his acquisition of wealth.  However, I would have to find out that his acquisition of wealth was due to the great economic value he added to Russia and the facts of the case against him were not true before I would change my attitude.  I know our politicians and our media would rather that we believe Khodorkovsky is being picked on because of his political dissent, but I am not buying it without the requisite proof that what they say is borne out by facts..