The European Court of Human Rights has begun hearing a complaint from collapsed Russian oil company Yukos against the Russian government, the BBC reports on its Web site Thursday.

Yukos representatives first filed the complaint back in 2004 and are seeking $98 billion in compensation.

The company, whose founder, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, was jailed for eight years in 2005 for tax evasion and other offenses, said it was "targeted" by the Russian authorities and illegally driven out of business.