20 December 2013
Last updated at 13:07 ET
Makes me wonder about some of the stories of the 19,999 OTHER people Putin supposedly pardoned
Mikhail Khodorkovsky in Berlin with
German ex-foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, who he thanked for
helping with his release
In a statement Mr Khodorkovsky, 50, confirmed he had asked Mr
Putin for a pardon due to "family circumstances" - his mother is
suffering from cancer.
He did not admit guilt and referred to those who were "unjustly convicted and continue to be persecuted" in his case.
Mr Putin earlier said he had signed the pardon on "the principles of humanity".
Mr Khodorkovsky, the former head of the now defunct oil giant Yukos, was once Russia's richest man and had used his wealth to fund opposition parties.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "happy" that Mr Khodorkovsky had been freed.
'Personal request'
Khodorkovsky arrives in Germany after Putin pardon
Mikhail Khodorkovsky in Berlin with
German ex-foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, who he thanked for
helping with his release
Russian
ex-tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has arrived in Germany, hours after
being pardoned by President Vladimir Putin and freed from a decade in
jail.
He did not admit guilt and referred to those who were "unjustly convicted and continue to be persecuted" in his case.
Mr Putin earlier said he had signed the pardon on "the principles of humanity".
Mr Khodorkovsky, the former head of the now defunct oil giant Yukos, was once Russia's richest man and had used his wealth to fund opposition parties.
Continue reading the main story
This is a powerful message in a country of disillusioned idealists, which Russia has become under Mr Putin.
With thoughtful statements, articles and interviews, the ex-tycoon presents an image of a man who has a comprehensive vision for the future of Russia based on the rule of law and trust in people's common sense.
Analysis
Mr Khodorkovsky, a practising Christian who has repeatedly spoken of social justice in his articles and interviews from jail, could become a potent living symbol of atonement for the real and perceived injustices of the 1990s privatisation era.This is a powerful message in a country of disillusioned idealists, which Russia has become under Mr Putin.
With thoughtful statements, articles and interviews, the ex-tycoon presents an image of a man who has a comprehensive vision for the future of Russia based on the rule of law and trust in people's common sense.
He was jailed for tax evasion and theft.
'Personal request'
Mr Khodorkovsky left the penal colony where he was being held,
in the Karelia region of north-western Russia, early on Friday
afternoon.
Russia's Federal Penal Service, quoted by news agency Interfax, said: "In the course of his release, Khodorkovsky asked for a passport for foreign travel. His request was met.
"Once he was released from prison, he left for Germany. We stress that the flight took place at his request and his exit documents were processed at his personal request."
The German foreign ministry later confirmed that Mr Khodorkovsky had landed at Schoenefeld airport in Berlin from St Petersburg, after the German embassy in Moscow had facilitated his departure from Russia.
The Associated Press (AP) quoted a spokesperson for the energy
consulting firm, OBO Bettermann, as saying that former German foreign
minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher had asked the company to provide a
plane.
Mr Khodorkovsky is believed to have been taken to Berlin's Adlon Hotel.
In a statement attributed to Mr Khodorkovsky and posted on a Facebook account registered to his press secretary, Olga Pispanen, he said: "On November 12, I asked the president of Russia to pardon me due to my family situation, and I am glad his decision was positive.
"The issue of admission of guilt was not raised.
Penal Colony 7 at the village of Segezha, near the Finnish border, where Mr Khodorkovsky was held
Mr Putin said he had signed the pardon on "the principles of humanity"
"I would like to thank everyone who has been following the
Yukos case all these years for the support you provided to me, my family
and all those who were unjustly convicted and continue to be
persecuted.
"I am constantly thinking of those who continue to remain imprisoned."
He also thanked Hans-Dietrich Genscher "for his personal involvement in my fate".
However, Mr Khodorkovsky's father, Boris, told AP he and his wife were still in Moscow and were planning to fly to Germany on Saturday.
Marina Khodorkovskaya told Russian state television: "It has not sunk in yet."
Mr Khodorkovsky has been in prison since 2003 and was due to be released next August.
The presidential pardon came after Russian MPs on Wednesday backed a wide-ranging amnesty for at least 20,000 prisoners.
Mr Putin confirmed it would apply to the two members of punk band Pussy Riot still in prison and Greenpeace activists detained for their protest at a Russian oil rig in the Arctic.
Analysts say Mr Putin may be trying to ease international criticism of Russia's human rights record ahead of February's Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Russia's Federal Penal Service, quoted by news agency Interfax, said: "In the course of his release, Khodorkovsky asked for a passport for foreign travel. His request was met.
"Once he was released from prison, he left for Germany. We stress that the flight took place at his request and his exit documents were processed at his personal request."
The German foreign ministry later confirmed that Mr Khodorkovsky had landed at Schoenefeld airport in Berlin from St Petersburg, after the German embassy in Moscow had facilitated his departure from Russia.
The BBC's Oleg Boldyrev says some analysts believe
Mr Khodorkovsky's release is a "sign of nervousness" in Moscow ahead of
the Winter Olympics
Mr Khodorkovsky is believed to have been taken to Berlin's Adlon Hotel.
In a statement attributed to Mr Khodorkovsky and posted on a Facebook account registered to his press secretary, Olga Pispanen, he said: "On November 12, I asked the president of Russia to pardon me due to my family situation, and I am glad his decision was positive.
"The issue of admission of guilt was not raised.
Penal Colony 7 at the village of Segezha, near the Finnish border, where Mr Khodorkovsky was held
Mr Putin said he had signed the pardon on "the principles of humanity"
Media gathered outside the Adlon hotel in Berlin
"I am constantly thinking of those who continue to remain imprisoned."
He also thanked Hans-Dietrich Genscher "for his personal involvement in my fate".
Continue reading the main story
Mikhail Khodorkovsky timeline
- 1995 - Buys Yukos for $350m
- 2003 - Arrested for tax evasion, embezzlement and fraud
- 2005 - Jailed for eight years (running 2003-11)
- 2007 - Yukos declared bankrupt
- Dec 2010 - Convicted of embezzlement and money laundering, jailed for 13 years (2003-16)
- Dec 2012 - Sentence cut by two years, release date 2014
- Dec 2013 - Freed from jail after presidential pardon
Germany's ARD television said Mr Genscher had met Mr Putin twice to discuss the case.
Mr Khodorkovsky's mother, Marina, 79, has been treated in Germany before.However, Mr Khodorkovsky's father, Boris, told AP he and his wife were still in Moscow and were planning to fly to Germany on Saturday.
Marina Khodorkovskaya told Russian state television: "It has not sunk in yet."
Mr Khodorkovsky has been in prison since 2003 and was due to be released next August.
The presidential pardon came after Russian MPs on Wednesday backed a wide-ranging amnesty for at least 20,000 prisoners.
Mr Putin confirmed it would apply to the two members of punk band Pussy Riot still in prison and Greenpeace activists detained for their protest at a Russian oil rig in the Arctic.
Analysts say Mr Putin may be trying to ease international criticism of Russia's human rights record ahead of February's Winter Olympics in Sochi.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered