Khodorkovsky's future is Russia's future, says son

Pavel Khodorkovsky promotes father's autobiography in Warsaw: photo - PAP/Jacek Turczyk

The 27 year-old Pavel Khodorkovsky was in Warsaw promoting the Polish language version of Putin's Prisoner by Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Natalia Geworkian, which tells the story of how Russia's former richest man and ex-chief of Yukos was imprisoned in 2003 after he became an enemy of Vladimir Putin.

While in Warsaw, the former oligarch's son met with Lech Walesa in an appeal for help to get his father, who will be in prison till 2016 after two convictions for fraud, released.

“[Lech Walesa] said at the meeting with Pavel Khodorkovsky that he supported his campaign, but asked him to provide concrete strategies and solutions that would help, not only the former head of Yukos but also other political prisoners in Russia,” said Zdzislaw Wojcik at the Lech Walesa Institute

Walesa, the former Solidarity legend, president of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize winner, told Khodorkovsky that getting a response from President Putin on human rights issues was difficult.

Walesa told the oligarch's son about a “recent open letter he sent to President Putin on [the imprisonment of ] Pussy Riot and a lack of response from the Kremlin,” Wojcik told reporters.

“President Lech Walesa stressed the importance of solidarity with my father, but also with all political prisoners in Russia and said he would raise the issue with other Nobel Peace Prize winners at the soonest opportunity,” Pavel Khodorkovsky said. (pg)

source: PAP