Fair Trial Not Likely for Average Person, Russians Say – Poll

MOSCOW, July 31 (RIA Novosti) – Some 60 percent of Russians think that an average person cannot expect a fair trial in the country, according to a poll released Wednesday.

Only 25 percent of respondents to the survey, conducted in June by the independent Levada Center pollster, said an average Russian could expect a fair trial.

Respondents also appeared distrustful of juries. Just 23 percent said a hearing with a jury would be fairer and more independent than one with only a judge, a drop from 34 percent in 2004.

The survey was conducted in 130 residential areas across 45 Russian regions with a statistical margin of error of 3.4 percent, pollster said.