Mikhail Khodorkovsky, released from prison Friday after a surprise pardon by Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on Sunday in Berlin that he is «very grateful» to Switzerland for the steps it had taken in recognising and improving his situation.
«I am grateful to Switzerland because it was the first country where the case against (my oil company) Yukos was investigated by legal authorities in detail, and they – at the highest level – reported that it is a political issue,» Khodorkovsky said. «And that Switzerland will not deliver legal assistance to the Russian justice authorities.»
In 2007, Russian authorities sought to obtain documents from Switzerland on companies and banks linked to Yukos, once the largest oil company in Russia which Khodorkovsky headed up. Khodorkovsky, once the wealthiest man in Russia, was imprisoned in 2003 on charges of fraud and tax evasion.
The Federal Court ruled not to supply the documents, arguing that according to human rights observers, the Kremlin had opened the case for political reasons to sideline «declared or potential political adversaries».
As a critic of and political threat to President Vladimir Putin, Khodorkovsky’s charges were considered by the West to be a trumped-up warning from Putin to anyone who might defy him.
In 2010, Khodorkovsky faced a second trial and prison sentence and was not due to be released from prison until August 2014.
Prison visits helped
On Sunday, Khodorkovsky also mentioned a visit he had received while in prison from an unnamed Swiss parliamentarian who advocated for his wellbeing.
«He spoke with prison authorities about my situation, the conditions I found myself in,» he said. «And that is exactly the kind of attention that did not allow the people who wanted to worsen my situation to do so.»
Khodorkovsky, whose wife and children currently live in Switzerland, did not speak about his plans for the future at the press conference held at the Berlin Wall Museum. But he did say that he is not interested in pursuing politics or business and will instead focus on his family as well as, perhaps, advocacy projects.
He added that his release should not be viewed as a symbol that there are no more political prisoners in Russia.
«The time that is left for me is time I would like to devote to the activity of paying back my debts to the people…and by that I mean the people who are still in prison,» he said.