(Vatican Radio)-- After his release from a Russian jail, former oil tycoon Mikhail
Khodorkovsky has said he does not want to return to business or politicals, but would
fight for those he considers political prisoners. Wearing a sharp suit and smiling,
the now 50-year-old Khodorkovsky spoke at his first news conference since his release
from prison, which was held at a museum commemorating the Berlin Wall from the Cold
War era.
The Kremlin-critic was held nearly a decade behind bars on what he
viewed as trumped up charges of tax evasion and fraud.His supporters linked the accusations
to his support for opposition parties. Kodorkovsky urged media not to forget other
political prisoners and thanked those who supported him throughout his ordeal. Listen
to this report from Stefan Bos:
Overjoyed
and emotional, he said: "I think that the attention of mass media ensures that many
people who are unjustly imprisoned today in our Russian jails keep alive, stay healthy
and keep up hope of being released." Khodorkovsky added: "So basically I like to express
my gratitude, from me personally and on behalf of others for what you are doing."
Khodorkovsky was to be released next year, but was unexpectedly freed
Friday after Russian President Vladimir Putin pardoned him. Critics view his release
as an attempt by Putin to reduce international criticism of Russia's human rights
record, ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. It was also the result of diplomatic
efforts by Hans-Dietrich Genscher, the elderly former German foreign minister.
Khodorkovsky
was once Russia's richest man when he was detained in 2003 on his private jet at a
Siberian airport. His fortune is now believed to be a mere shadow of what it once
was, though he claimed his financial position is still good. Khodorkovsky made clear
however there is more than money in life. He already met family members at the luxurious
Adlon hotel overlooking the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. That was a dramatic contrast
to the prison camp in the sub-Arctic forest near the Finnish border where he became
one of the world's most famous detainees.
Khodorkovsky said that despite
the Kremlin's public assurances that he was free to return to Russia, he could not
do so because there was no guarantee he would be able to leave again, if needed.