MOSCOW, July 14 (RIA Novosti) - Lawyers representing Alexei Pichugin, the former head of the Yukos security service sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder, said Thursday that they were intending to go to the European Court of Human Rights.
"We will not appeal against the verdict in a higher body but will go straight to the European Court of Human Rights," Georgy Kaganer told RIA Novosti after Russia's Supreme Court upheld Pichugin's conviction at an appeal hearing.
A Moscow court jury had earlier found Pichugin guilty of murder and attempted murder, and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Pichugin refused to attend today's appeal hearing. The court only read the judicial disposition, as the session was closed due to the secrecy of the case.
