Putin Says He Will Pardon Khodorkovsky

Russian President Vadimir Putin says he will soon sign a decree pardoning Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the oil tycoon-turned-Kremlin critic who has been in prison for more than a decade. Mr. Putin told reporters Thursday following his marathon annual press conference that Khodorkovsky had recently requested a pardon on humanitarian grounds, saying that his mother is ill."He has spent more than 10 years in prison," the Russian president said, "It's a serious...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - jeudi 19 décembre 2013