Lawyers for former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky say they will appeal his fraud and tax evasion conviction to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.
Thursday, a Moscow court rejected Khodorkovsky's appeal of his conviction, but supporters of the former head of the oil firm Yukos say authorities rushed through the process to prevent him from running in a December parliamentary byelection.
In a related development Friday, the Moscow prosecutor's office said it has asked that three of Khodorkovsky's lawyers be disbarred. A spokeswoman said the three should have represented him in his appeal as well as in his defense.
Another of his lawyers, Robert Amsterdam of Canada, said Friday Moscow authorities have revoked his visa and told him to leave the country immediately.
Russian authorities have not confirmed his statement.
Some information for this report provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
