A big let-off
Eastern approaches 2013-12-20
Summary:
“GUIDED by the principles of humanity, I decree: To pardon Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky, born in 1963 in Moscow, and to free him from further imprisonment. The decree comes into force from the day of its signature. Vladimir Putin”.
Thus, on December 20th, ended the 10-year incarceration of Mikhail Khodorkovsky (pictured left), a former oil tycoon whose imprisonment was a pivotal moment in recent Russian history. The country's most important political prisoner, he walked out of a penal colony in Karelia, close to the border with Finland, seven months before his sentence was due to end.
Within a few hours he was on his way to Berlin, in a jet provided by a German firm, OBO Bettermann. He was met by Hans-Dietrich Genscher (pictured right), a former German foreign minister who had played a crucial role in negotiating Mr Khodorkovsky’s pardon.
With its cold-war overtones, the release had all the marks of a long-planned operation. (In a statement, Mr Khodorkovsky said he wrote to ask for Mr...Continue reading