"imprisoned in Russia since 2003 on charges that his supporters - such as Amnesty International - consider politically motivated"
Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky (Russian: Михаи́л Бори́сович Ходорко́вский, IPA: [mʲɪxɐˈil xədɐˈrkofskʲɪj]; born 22 June 1963 in Moscow) is a former businessman imprisoned in Russia since 2003 on charges that his supporters - such as Amnesty International - consider politically motivated. Before his arrest Khodorkovsky was well known as the chief of the Russian petroleum company Yukos, a politically active philanthropist, the wealthiest man in Russia, and 16th on the Forbes list of billionaires, although much of his wealth evaporated following the government's forced seizure of Yukos.[1] In the years leading up to his arrest, Khodorkovsky funded several Russian political parties, including the liberal Yabloko party and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.[2] He also had become known for speaking out publicly against government corruption, and directly challenging President Vladimir Putin on the issue in a televised meeting in February 2003.[3]