Khodorkovsky reunites with family in Berlin
Jailed Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky talks to his lawyer through the bullet-proof glass defendents’ cage at a Moscow court on March 31, 2009. A Moscow court on Dec. 30, 2010 sentenced Khodorkovsky to 14 years in jail in his second fraud trial, a verdict slammed as cruel and absurd by rights activists.
Russian oil tycoon and former inmate, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, was reunited with his family in Berlin after his release from Russian jail on Friday.
Khodorkovsky, 50, spent 10 years in prison over allegations of fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion, which some say were politically motivated.
He was pardoned by Russian president Vladimir Putin last week.
Khodorkovsky's son Pavel said at a press conference on Saturday: “I’m thrilled to be here in Berlin, in Germany today because my father is free."
"My family is finally reunited and we’re very, very happy to be together after ten years of separation," he added.
Khodorkovsky also met his parents in Berlin.
He is expected to hold a press conference at Checkpoint Charlie, the historic dividing line between east and west Berlin, on Sunday.
A German politician who met with Khodorkovsky said that he will likely not return to his native country.
"A return to Russia is not on the agenda," German Greens MP Marieluise Beck told reporters.
Putin's decision to pardon Khodorkovsky comes at the heels of other pardons of critics of his presidency.
An amesty bill is in the works to free Pussy Riot, a band charged with offending religion and hooligansim.
Putin may be seeking to soften criticism ahead of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.