MOSCOW, September 13 - RAPSI. The European Parliament adopted on Thursday a resolution harshly criticizing Russia's judicial system, Kommersant Daily reported.

In asserting continued concerns with current trends in Russia, the resolution's authors listed such high-profile judicial cases as those of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Pussy Riot, as well as political issues such as tomorrow's vote to oust opposition lawmaker Gennady Gudkov from the Duma.

The text of the approved resolution mentions a number of cases in Russia which raise concerns in the West, for instance the "politically motivated" trial over former YUKOS owner Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev.

The YUKOS case has been one of the most high profile in Russia in recent years. In the early 2000s, the authorities accused YUKOS executives Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev of fraudulent financial dealings. YUKOS, then the country's largest oil company, went bankrupt and its assets were taken over by Rosneft. Many in the West believe the case was politically driven, although Moscow denies the charges.

In 2005, Khodorkovsky and Lebedev were sentenced to eight years in prison for fraud and tax evasion.

In late 2010, a Moscow district court sentenced them to 14 years in prison for oil theft and money laundering. They are expected to be released in 2017 with time served for their previous convictions in their first trial.

Special attention was given to the Pussy Riot case as well: according to the MPs, this case shows the more frequent, politically motivated intimidation and prosecution of oppositionists in Russia.

On February 21, 2012, five young women wearing brightly colored balaclavas stood at the altar of Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral and performed a protest song entitled, "Holy Sh*t." Shortly thereafter, an edited video of the performance that was uploaded to the Internet incited a public outcry.

Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich were convicted of disorderly conduct and sentenced on August 17 to two years imprisonment.

Recent Russian legislative initiatives were harshly criticized as well.

The European Parliament believes that negative trends are emerging in the State Duma: the intention to strip A Just Russia party member Gennady Gudkov of his parliamentary seat is seen as an intimidation tactic against the opposition party which supported the protest movement.

Previously, Alexander Shchukin, head of the Investigative Committee's Investigative Department, disclosed that Gudkov was involved in managing a construction company in Bulgaria. According to current Russian legislation, deputies are not permitted to be involved in business. It was revealed in June that investigators were carrying out an inspection upon the application of Bulgarian citizen Ivaylo Zartov on Gudkov's purported investments in a Bulgarian firm and his alleged tax evasion in Russia. Gudkov said that Zartov had previous convictions in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria and was just trying to settle accounts with him.

Additionally, the Interior Ministry looked into the security businesses owned by the Gudkov family and found that a number of violations had been committed here too. Gudkov believes these investigations are connected to his political opposition status.