Khodorkovsky Free After Pardon From Putin

摘要

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Friday to pardon former Yukos oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The decree came into effect immediately and Khodorkovsky left prison a few hours later. The petition and Putin's decision to grant the pardon came as a surprise to lawyers and relatives of Khodorkovsky, who did not expect any movement on the case until August 2014, when Khodorkovsky's imprisonment was set to end.