Alexei Alexandrovich Kozlov (born 1974) is a prominent Russian businessman in the construction sector, believed by human rights groups to have suffered from a conspiracy to expropriate his property.
[3] Chairman of Korfinans, he was arrested on 30 July 2008 and charged with the fraudulent acquisition of a factory in North West Moscow called 'Artificial Leather'.
He was found guilty by the Moscow City Court and is serving a seven-year sentence at a penal colony in the Perm region.
[4] Earlier attempts to appeal his sentence had failed and the official volte face has been attributed by some to the influence of Medvedev, who according to Pavel K. Baev is 'sensitive to the impression that he has lost control over the marauding siloviki and is trying to compensate by making small steps that should prove his commitment to the rule of law.
The blog, which several of those involved in human rights in Russia now contribute to, was awarded a Deutsche Welle prize in 2010.