On Wednesday, the leader of the Communist Party of Russia and presidential candidate, Gennady Zyuganov, said he would pardon former Yukos head Mikhail Khodorkovsky if elected president.

      This statement was made within Zyuganov's campaign platform, in which he also said he would amend the constitution to permit only two five-year presidential terms.

      As regarding Khodorkovsky, Mikhail Zyuganov promised to show humanity and mercy. "Khodorkovsky has already served quite a long term,” the Communist leader told reporters.

      The famous Russian tycoon, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once seen as a potential threat to Putin, has been in jail on charges of fraud and tax evasion since 2003. His eight-year jail term has since been extended by another five years and is currently due for release in 2016.

      Both Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin repeatedly refused to treat a question about his discharge, calling his sentence legal and fair. 

      Prominent Russian billionaire and another presidential candidate, Mikhail Prokhorov, was the first to promise to pardon Mikhail Khodorkovsky if elected president since the presidential campaign started. He said the first thing he would do as president would be to free Khodorkovsky. It is interesting that Prokhorov also called his decision an act of humanism.

      In addition, in his speech Gennady Zyuganov criticized Russian liberal opposition for making protest meetings of many thousands and so destabilizing political situation in the country. 

Sources: gazeta.ru ru.delfi.lt Image: specletter.ru