Khodorkovsky Granted Presidential Pardon

After spending a decade in jail for embezzlement, tax evasion and theft, former Russian oil magnate and prominent political critic, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, was granted pardon on Thursday by Russian President Putin on the basis of "the principles of humanity".

It was revealed during his annual press conference on Thursday, that the former head of oil giant Yukos had asked the President for clemency because his mother was ill.

In a decree signed by Mr Putin and published
by the Kremlin, he said "guided by humanitarian principles , I decree that Mikhail Borisovich
Khodorkovsky. .. should be pardoned and freed from any further punishment in the
form of imprisonment . This decree comes into force from the day of its signing."

The pardon came as a surprise to the public after Russian MPs pushed for a wide-ranging amnesty for at
least 20,000 prisoners including minors, disabled
people, veterans, pregnant women and mothers.

Although, analysts say that the pardon may actually be a ploy to push aside international criticism of Russia's human rights record ahead of February's Winter Olympics in Sochi, the Kommersant newspaper said on Friday Khodorkovsky had made the decision to seek a pardon following the threat of a
third trial against him.

Although, Khodorkovsky was imprisoned in 2010 after being convicted of stealing oil and laundering money, he has been in prison since 2003 when he was arrested on charges of tax evasion. He was due to be released next August.

Indian ‘Spy’ Dies in Pakistan Prison after Attack

Sarabjit Singh, an Indian national who was sentenced to death in 1991 on charges of espionage, died from his injuries early on Thursday after he was attacked last week by fellow inmates, according his lawyer and doctor.

Singh sustained several injuries when six prisoners attacked him with bricks in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail on Friday. He was in a comatose state for 5 days till his death on Thursday morning in Lahore’s Jinnah hospital.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on his official Twitter page, “The criminals responsible for the barbaric and murderous attack on Sarabjit Singh must be brought to justice.”

He added that the capital would make arrangements to bring his body home for funeral rites, after a failed attempt to negotiate for the treatment of the convicted Indian in India or a third country failed.

The Indian government had initially appealed for Singh to be released on grounds of treatment for the attack he received, as his injuries were grave and of great concern to his government.

Singh was sentenced to death for spying, as well as his role in the 1990 bomb attacks that saw the deaths of 14 people.

While his family had always insisted of his innocence, their mercy petitions were rejected by the courts running during the regime of former President Pervez Musharraf who is currently under house arrest and charged with conspiracy to murder late former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto.

Singh’s lawyer, Owais Sheikh, said, “His death was already feared. His condition was more than critical and he had less chances of survival.”

Sheikh had said earlier, that his client had received threats following the execution of a Kashmiri separatist, Mohammed Afzal Guru, who was hanged in February for his role in the deadly attack on the Indian parliament in 2001, and the execution of Mohammed Ajmal Qasab, the only surviving Pakistani in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

In a statement, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said, “The authorities have obviously failed to do their elementary duty of providing him [Singh] safety and security.”

The commission has expressed their anger over the attack, describing it as a ‘dastardly act’, and has tasked the government of Pakistan to leave no stone unturned in fishing out the culprits for punishment.