breaking news international mikhail khodorkovsky lands in germany after being released from prison in russia after president putin signed a pardon what he called humanitarian principles. the idea that the people don't deserve access to knowledge because people cannot deal with. co-producer of a movie which shows just how hard it can be for whistleblowers to get the truth in print. and syria's embattled kurds take their ambitions for autonomy to a new level demanding a seat at next month's international peace talks in switzerland our top stories this. hour from a studio city here in moscow which has turned eight pm this is international so after a decade of incarceration. is free russia's most high profile prisoner left jail and traveled to germany board a private jet let's get the latest now from. who is in berlin tell us peter what have you heard from the german officials who've obviously greeted khodorkovsky. well apparently received a warn your visa or on arrival to berlin shauna feld airport now he left the airport in a motorcade protected by police along with the for the german f

tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky may have already walked free after the russian president vladimir putin signed his pa. stripped of its full mocks the european union loses its top credit rating. and tense budget negotiations inside the block. for syria so it is community pressing for a seat at the negotiating table for the upcoming geneva peace talks hoping to grab the opportunity to secure their independence and their rights. this hour's top headlines from around the world it's r.t. international with me rule resewn a very warm welcome to you today reports are now saying that mikhail khodorkovsky may have already left the prison where he was serving the sentence for embezzle mint and fraud it comes less than one hour off the president putin signed a pardon for the former tycoon who had fallen amnesty plea let's get more on this now go to chris going off now joining us live here on the program what do we know yet god has he already walked out. well first of all i'd like to apologize for the sound problems that you may be hearing because we've just lended here at the airport and she said you can

most well known prisoners in the world but the idea of a pardon for former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky was unexpected to say the least rather really with. the news came absolutely out of the blue last time i spoke with him was back in august and he didn't show any intention of filing a petition i totally support any decision of his he needs to be set free his children and even grandchildren grew up without him a four hour q. and a and not one question about fred of course ski and then this if you don't know who the kospi recently wrote a petition asking me to pardon him he spent more than ten years in prison this is a serious punishment he saw as humanitarian reasons saying his mother is sick and i believe taking jus account of all the circumstances it's possible to take a respective decision and in the near future i will sign a decree to pardon him the former c.e.o. and founder of the oil company yukos built a fortune that made him russia's richest man after the collapse of the soviet union snapping up state assets at a bargain price in often dubious circumstances other course the fal

mikhail khodorkovsky talked about this yesterday. it is a bit of the symbol of the strength that president boudin believes he has, that he can let these dissidents, if you will, go. and not worry about any threat to his rule. -- if mikhail khodorkovsky had said that he thought any of them could mount some serious opposition to his leadership, then he probably would not have let them go. so yes, concession. sign of weakness, i do not think so. >> certainly a great political exercise ahead of the sochi games. ryan chilcote with the latest on the release of mikhail khodorkovsky. >> it is time for a bloomberg exclusive. says he mayson build individual casino resorts in major european cities after aborting plans or a $35 billion mega-resort in spain. he was speaking to our middle east editor, elliott gotkine. elliott joins us now. ,espite the downturn in europe he does not seem to be that put off. >> he is not. in fact, he seems to be eyeing major european cities. barcelona, paris, even athens as locations for such an individual integrate

. >>> former russian oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky vows to help others in russia. thanked angela merkel for helping are secure his police. he was jailed for over a decade in prison. he is reuniting with his family. seemed to be a fairly wide reaching press conference. he covered a lot of ground, a lot of topics. what would you say some of the highlights were? >> well, what an amazing 36 hours mikhail khodorkovsky has had since arriving in by berlin. the press conference was quite chaotic at times. they didn't expect quite so many to show up. he thanked those who helped secure his freedom, one of those people were the german chancellor angela merkel. he was taken by surprise then found himself coming here to berlin. he said he wanted to fight for the freedom of those other political prisoners and he was also asked about going back to russia. and this is what he had to say: >> translator: mr. peskov press secretary to the russian president, said that nobody prevents me from returning to russia at any time. fortunately today, i don't have guarantees after this, i will

from behind bars to berlin former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is in germany looking forward to being reality with his family following his pardon i'm released from prison. defense as a price eight and a half trillion dollars goes on a kind and for less than two decades as part of the effort to keep the pentagon running. and friday prayers turned violent in egypt as police just supporters of president he was protesting against the law restricting demonstrations. are welcome it's nice to have you company you watching. international just hours after being released from prison mikhail khodorkovsky is back in the lap of luxury for more oil tycoon was one of russia's richest men before being jailed a decade ago but following his presidential pardon he jumped on a private jet flew to bird lane and is now in a five star hotel all correspondents are following the story in russia randi let's cross live peter oliver and lindsey france first to you paint he's in you're outside the five star hotel where he's believed to be staying right now who is picking up the bill for this extravagant ta

putin has the blue, said he will pardon mikhail khodorkovsky. he has already spent more than 10 years in jail. it is a serious punishment. these are circumstances of a humanitarian nature. his mother is ill. i will soon sign an order about his pardon. >> mikhail khodorkovsky is close to in prison, the arctic circle and the announcement today appears to have taken his family and legal team by surprise. the decision follows on the heels of the amnesty agreed in russia on wednesday. that is likely to lead to women from pussy riot being set free. olympics due to start in february, it is seen as an attempt to resolve some of the most controversial cases. all over russia there is an expectation some of the most high-profile prisoners are about to be released. in siberia, where someone else is held, and her fellow pussy iot band members are being retained. but nobody knows what the timetable is. as ever, that will be controlled by the kremlin. you are watching "bbc world news america." on,l to come, three years we look at what has changed in egypt and

once russia's richest man, mikhail khodorkovsky is now in berlin just days after his pardon by presidentputin. the ex-oil tycoon had spent more than 10 years in jail. khodorkovsky sat down for an exclusive interview with ryan chilcote and give us a firsthand glimpse of what it's like to actually live in a russian jail. >> describe your single most difficult day in prison. >> i had around 4000 difficult days. to say which was the most difficult is pretty tough. maybe the most difficult day was when i saw them starting to destroy the company. or maybe the most day was when i learned that the company's legal counsel had died. or maybe the toughest day was when i got knifed in the face. >> stabbed with a knife? >> it's difficult. >> what was the most difficult thing about prison? >> the most unpleasant part of prison was the feeling of wasting time. ,ood, clothes, enclosed space that stuff you can get used to if you have a little bit of self-discipline. i spent all of those years in prison under so-called double surveillance. >> a prison within a prison? >> yes, and even a third prison. the

and mikhail khodorkovsky press conference will be held at twelve g.m.t. in berlin and of course we will be covering it live on air and online as well at r.t. dot com. at least eighty civilians have been slaughtered in the syrian town of advair north of damascus after it was raided by radical islamic some reports but the number of those killed two hundred artie's arabic channel went there to talk to why witnesses of the bloodshed. terror still fills the hearts of those who witnessed the militants during the town about drug they saw panic disoriented people running for their lives and they ran themselves they will never forget the despair in the eyes of those who were forced to stay behind we have no reliable way to communicate with the people trapped inside out but officials are saying the atrocities against the civilian population are continuing people are being butchered and even burned alive and every bit of news coming out of the town is doing a new blow to those whose families are still being held by the militants everyone working for the local author

for the tycoon president putin's decision to pardon mikhail khodorkovsky may have caused a bombshell at home but it's only a reserve reaction of. the syrian kurdish community presses for a seat at the negotiating table the upcoming geneva peace talks hoping to grab the opportunity to secure their rights. and on the team of wiki leaks journalists make a road movie about their mission to blow the whistle we talk to one of them about changing the world. it is friday morning here in moscow it's r.t. international with me roar from everybody here thanks for joining us one of russia's highest profile prisoners for oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is set to walk free president putin said he'll pardon him after getting his appeal for clemency. he has spent a decade in jail on tax evasion charges and the announcement of his release came as a big surprise as a tease and he said now it reports. he may well be one of the most well known prisoners in the world but the idea of a pardon for former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky was unexpected to say the least read really with. the news came abs

mikhail khodorkovsky is out of jail. he has been freed.ng about the implications of that for the russian market. the eu has lost its aaa status. we are talking to the btb capital about that. in the run-up to christmas, how do you beat stress? it has been a year in which senior executives have suffered from stress and made that open to the public. we are going to find out how to beat it with the founder of headspace. ♪ quarks president hu jin signs the release for the former russian oligarch. a list price of $7.5 billion for boeing. >> good evening to those in asia and a warm welcome to those just waking up the united states. i'm guy johnson. >> and i'm francine lacqua. >> russia's pulse." most famous for his and her has been set free. bloomberg's ryan chilcote joins us with the very latest. comes as a surprise. the official news came today. >> here's the decree itself. everything about this is intriguing. the only thing more extraordinary than president putin granting the pardon is that yesterday he said that could or coax the himself aske

for the meantime though one of russia's highest profile prisoners for more oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is set to walk free president putin said he'll pardon him after getting his appeal for clemency khodorkovsky has spent a decade in jail on tax evasion and embezzlement charges announcement of his release came as a big surprise as artie's and he said now a reports. he may well be one of the most well known prisoners in the world but the idea of a pardon for former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky was unexpected to say the least bad really was. the news came absolutely out of the blue last time i spoke with him was back in august and he didn't show any intention of filing a petition i totally support any decision of his he needs to be set free his children and even grandchildren grew up without him a four hour q. and a and not one question about for the record ski and then this if you don't know who the coastie recently wrote a petition asking me to pardon him because he spent more than ten years in prison this is a serious punishment he saw as humanitarian reasons saying his mother

's after mikhail khodorkovsky imprisonment, his company was dismantled and auctioned off. assets were transferred. the ceo approached mikhail khodorkovsky with a preposition immediately after his release from prison. , theter you were released head of a company, to a certain extent which exists because of the assets that were part of yukos, said he would be happy to give you a job. he was joking. maybe he was actually mocking you. how does that make you feel? [indiscernible] right up to the end, he was trying to convince the country's leadership not to free me. only because he was personally afraid of something. a man who wants to joke around with an opponent should not use the power of the state to get rid of him. >> much more of our interview online or on your mobile device with a bloomberg tv plus apps. he stole millions but only served 22 months in jail. the story of the wolf of wall street is next. building an entire city with legos. the tweet that made hundreds of thousands of tween girls cry themselves to sleep on christmas eve. justin bieber announcing on twitter t

mikhail khodorkovsky walked free after 10 years in prison. ryan chilcote has covered khodorkovsky for more than a decade and was in russia for his arrest in 2003. the world is easy to see move.kovsky's next there is a mystery, we know he hised in berlin to see ailing mother. we're getting word she may not be in germany. what is going on? >> he arrived in berlin, he is having been pardoned by the russian president on humanitarian grounds to see his mother who is battling cancer. he gets there only to find out she is in the russian capital. she did not know he was going directly to germany. he said he was unaware she was going to be a russian capital. he has had pretty patchy contacts over those years with his mother. ago, he was in prison. he walked out of prison after president can pardon him. yesterday, president clinton said mikhail khodorkovsky -- president putin said mikhail khodorkovsky asked for the pardon. he was due to get out in august. he refused to ask for a pardon. in russia, that presupposes acceptance of guilt. he has maintained

international after a decade of incarceration mikhail khodorkovsky is free russia's most high profile prisoner left jail and traveled to germany on board a private jet went on. joins me now live so germany seems to be very involved in all of this hasn't it. well germany has been very involved in deed what we've seen is. arrive here burly in short a failed airport on a private jet there was apparently ordered for him by former foreign minister hans dietrich genscher he was the foreign minister in the eighty's and early ninety's now it turns out mr gain share has been instrumental in orchestrating this move of . leaving jail in russia and arriving here eventually in the evening time local time in berlin now he also it seems it organized him a one year shain gandee that it would allow him to to stay in the european union in the end zone there now speaking we understand now that he is in a hotel in central just needs of the brandenburg gate. just again she has since spoken on german television now in that in that interview that he give he said that mikhail khodorkovsky was grateful to the

we should find out more about mikhail khodorkovsky sunday. >> that is news of the russian oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky has been released from prison. >>> wreaths have been laid marking 25 years since the locker by bombing. >> it was a half hour from london to new york. 11 people on the ground died when wreckage of the plane hit the area. the bomber was released from jail in 2009 and he died in may last year. somsome like jim spire, whose daughter died in the bombing, do not believe that he was responsible. he has been investigating the event. >> not only were there extraordinary flaws in the security that should have protected the lives of our families, but we have been deceived. >> let's head to ukraine where there is fierce opposition to the president after a month of mass rallies began following his decision to reject an e.u. trade deal and following russia. >> reporter: from ukraine's east and south supporters from the orthodox church came to pray for solidarity with russia. >> western culture is not orthodox. western values, so-called euro standards, they're not acceptable to

president putin says he is ready to sign a pardon for russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky who spent more than a decade behind bars for embezzlement and tax evasion. amnesty international says hardline syrian rebels have established a new form of tyranny and forcing a reign of terror with secret prisons where children as young as eight allegedly tortured. and pride and prejudice london rejects an offer to fund a food banks despite hundreds of thousands of people in britain going hungry. for most of the center here in moscow which just turned ten pm this is r.t. international president vladimir putin says he will sign a motion to pardon the jailed russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky the businessman who spent more than ten years behind bars for embezzlement has reportedly already filed a petition to be pardoned pursuit of reports. well the president was hosting a media conference which lasted over four hours but the biggest news came after it's finished he was surrounded by journalists and someone asked the question about me and suddenly the president said that the former had asked him to b

from behind bars to live in former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is in germany looking forward to being reunited with his family following his pardon i'm release from prison. here outside of the hotel where because he's believed to have spent his first night of freedom ten years we'll be bringing you all the latest on this story as it develops but at a price eight and a half trillion dollars goes on accounted for in less than two decades as part of the effort to keep the pentagon running. and friday prayers turned violent in egypt as police dispersed supporters of the president who were protesting against a law restricting demonstrations. casting twenty four seven live from moscow you're watching international. now just hours after being released from prison mikhail khodorkovsky is back in the lap of luxury the former oil tycoon was one of russia's richest men before being jailed a decade ago but following his presidential pardon he jumped on a private jet flew to berlin and is now in a five star hotel well earlier i spoke to our correspondents following the story in both russi

at his first news conference as a free man former oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky says he's not interested in politics he wants to defend those whom he calls political prisoners. of a court finding a person guilty of murder i think it's very difficult for anyone to go and say he's guilty but he's not actually guilty because he's a political prisoner. also this hour radical islamist rebels in syria allegedly massacred dozens of civilians during a battle in the suburbs of the capital damascus. plus turkish police crackdown on protests corruption scandal that's put the other one government in the line of our top stories this hour. the look back at the past seven days top stories and the latest developments this is the weekly. magnates mikhail khodorkovsky says he has no interest in pursuing politics or being involved in business he held his first major news conference in the german capital where he flew directly after being released from jail after ten years of it is in. mikhail khodorkovsky entered into the press conference in a whirlwind of media hype into a room packed to the rafters with

if you get more on the release of mikhail khodorkovsky at our web site r.t. dot com we have reports in-depth analysis and opinion. to syria now where a suicide bombing near a primary school has killed up to seven children in the province of arms this comes after dozens of civilians were allegedly massacred by islamists in the town of our drop arches arabic channel went there to talk to eyewitnesses. hair still fills the hearts of those who witnessed the militants entering the town about drugs they saw panic disoriented people running for their lives and they ran themselves they will never forget the despair in the eyes of those who were forced to stay behind we have no reliable way to communicate with the people trapped inside address but officials are saying the atrocities against the civilian population are continuing our people are being butchered and even burned alive and every bit of news coming out of the town is doing a new blow to those whose families are still being held by the militants everyone working for the local authorities was to be killed reg

russia's supreme court will review the legal cases that were brought against mikhail khodorkovsky the recently released former all tycoon and once russia's richest man if previous sentences on the case are mitigated then khodorkovsky business partner could also walk free little earlier and this is now i discussed this development with r.t. to go person off who's been following the latest proceedings for us. even though her course has just been important by the president and he's currently in berlin he's still millions and millions of dollars in taxes to the state and he says that he's not playing to come back to russia until these taxes claims are listed so theoretically we could see that happening and when it comes to. well we could see the man just walk out of prison sooner than his sentence was supposed to what exactly prompted the supreme court to review this case in the first place we cases were initially being reviewed by the european court for human rights which did find that they were not political but there were various violations in the way these cases proceeded and so one o

mikhail khodorkovsky reveals his plans for the future at his first news conference as a free man but some questions about his past are being avoided. people consistently look the european court of human rights has repeatedly said that he. never seems to get. a suicide car bomb attack in syria claims the lives of up to seven children that comes as amid allegations that islamics massacred dozens of civilians in a damascus suburb. you can't get into your home. if you think it apparently not many would especially after a report found that cancer causing chemicals were found in a water samples collected in your fracking site in colorado. you're watching our t.v. live from moscow today we've got the latest developments and a look back at the top stories of the past seven days this is the weekly on r.t. . says he will not pursue a career in either politics or business the former oil magnate outline his plans for the future at his first news conference as his release from jail. there's a new month's supply. i'm not planning to be involved in politics which i've already made clear in my lette

it's important for your audience to know really who mikhail khodorkovsky was he's not some innocent businessman that was wrongly punished following the collapse of communism in russia the russian state was on its knees politically economically and legally and what emerged to take advantage of that was a very small group of very talented businessmen including mikhail khodorkovsky. flattr make isn't skee mikhail friedman of lot of time in who took advantage of that to buy up pretty much all the assets of the russian states prefer actually nothing and they made hundreds of millions of dollars they enrich themselves and by doing so the russians they lost everything they lost their safe and they lost their pensions they lost their insurance schemes and because of the actions of. khodorkovsky ordinary russians were thrown into. abject poverty into abject misery this is not a man who should be called the fires in the west the only reason he's being glorified in the west is because he's a critic and opponents of president putin a president who has made strong again. for the reckless. of the nineteen ni

most well known prisoners in the world but the idea of a pardon for former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky was unexpected to say the least bit of four hour q. and a and not one question about for the whole ski and then this but you don't know who the kosi recently wrote a petition on asking me to pardon him but i showed him where he spent more than ten years in prison and this is a serious punishment he saw as humanitarian reasons saying his mother is secure in the i believe taking jew account of all the circumstances it's possible to take a respective decision and in the near future i will sign a decree to pardon him the former c.e.o. and founder of the oil company yukos built a fortune that made him russia's richest man after the collapse of the soviet union snapping up state assets at a bargain price in often dubious circumstances rather caused the fall from grace began in october two thousand and three when he was arrested on charges of fraud and tax evasion he and his business partner plateau never dead were found guilty in two thousand and five and handed eight year sentences four ye

well the latest is that mikhail khodorkovsky is here in the german capital we believe but we can't confirm yet that he is in the market and along the hotel just down from the brandenburg gate in fact very close to where our studios are here now the reason we believe he's in that hotel is because former german foreign minister hans dietrich genscher was seen leaving not hotel now just again she has been instrumental apparently in securing a visa for mikhail khodorkovsky to allow him to come here to germany now we heard from russian prison authorities earlier on friday that said as soon as he left prison he was issued with a german passport with a father with a russian passport in order to allow him to travel but it appears that mr again she has been working behind the scenes along with the the german government here working with the russian government in order to push through a german visa for for him to allow him to come here to to live in now in terms of statements that we've heard regarding mikhail khodorkovsky arrival here a spokesperson for angle or merkel the german chancellor said th

former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is getting ready to meet the press after finally being reunited with his family in the early following his surprise release from prison. also this week eighty civilians are executed by islamist rebels in syria while western nations coming peace talks might not just add removal after all . and a big deal for ukraine russia agrees to buy fifteen billion dollars of its debt and slash the price of gas which kiev hails as its rescue from bankruptcy. and i welcome you watching the weekly here on r.t. international. now in a few hours may hear what it called ski set to give his first press conference since he was released from jail after ten years behind bars the man who was russia's most high profile prisoner is now in berlin where he was reunited with his parents and son on saturday artie's peter oliver is following events later on sunday he's going to be holding a press conference where he'll meet the world's media and outline perhaps what he's going to be doing next we're all looking forward to seeing what he has to say it is a paid press conference

the spokes people had put out in an open letter from mikhail khodorkovsky earlier on and which he he was said he was pleased that president putin had granted him this pardon on humanitarian grounds he also in that letter said basically that what comes next for him in the short term and not is family he's wanting to spend the holidays with his family and we're expecting his mother and father to arrive here from moscow on saturday as well as others to come in the very near future but he ended by wishing everybody a very merry christmas and a happy new year seems that spending time with his family as a free man is what's next on the cards for mikhail khodorkovsky peter all of us live in berlin thanks very much indeed for that latest update. this is r.t. international more news in just over half an hour from me for from me in the team in the meantime the issue of a pardon for edward snowden takes center stage in cross talk that's on the brink. the parliament of yemen has put forward a motion to ban drone attacks in the country the motion is now awaiting approval by the president and it's

. >>> vladimir putin has freed mikhail khodorkovsky after nearly ten years in jail.eter sharp has more. >> reporter: president putin cannot be accused of hiding from the press. this is another four-hour media marathon. allowing the leader a golden opportunity to put a shine on the country's image abroad. he approved a pardon for the multi-billionaire, mikhail khodorkovsky. >> he has already spent more than ten years in jail. it's a serious punishment. he refers to circumstances of the humanitarian issue, his mother is ill, and i think it's possible to make that decision and i will soon sign an order about his pardon. >> reporter: just two days ago putin offered $15 billion of state investment to its troubled neighbor ukraine. a bailout to save floundering economy from bankruptcy. apparently no strings attached. even some conciliatory words directed at the european yuan yoon. >> are we against the association with europe? not at all. we simply say we have to protect our economy. we have a free trade agreement with ukraine. we cannot leave it unchanged if ukraine opens

former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is getting ready to meet the press after finally being reunited with his family in berlin following his surprise release from prison. also this week eighty seven ians are executed by islamic rebels in syria while western nations signal upcoming peace talks might not need a sad removal after all. and a big deal for ukraine russia agrees to buy fifteen billion dollars of its debt and slash the price of gas which kiev hails it fresh from bankruptcy. and i welcome you watching a weekly here on r.t. intensional. now in a few hours mikhail khodorkovsky is set to give his first press conference since he was released from jail after ten years behind bars the man who was russia's most high profile prisoner is now in berlin where he was reunited with his parents and on saturday parties peter oliver has been watching the scene at the five star hotel where the ex thai king is stay. because of course he spent his first full day of freedom in ten years here. and the other lot hotel just behind me though he met with his son pavel who flew from new york at order

former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is getting ready to meet the press after finally being reunited with his family in following his surprise release from prison. also this week eighty civilians are executed by islamist rebels in syria while western nations signal upcoming peace talks might not need a sad removal after all. and a big deal for ukraine russia agrees to buy fifteen billion dollars of its debt and slash the price of gas which kiev hails as its rescue from bankruptcy. i. know that you're watching a weekly here on r.t. international now in a few hours time a chaotic of ski is set to give his first press conference since he was released from jail after ten years behind bars the man who was russia's most high profile prisoner is now in berlin where he was reunited with his parents and on saturday well let's go live now to the german capital and speak to artie's peter oliver. the hotel where he's staying for a number of hours apart from his close friends and families anyone caught a glimpse of him. well those that have been in to see him are few and far between has been real

first to russia where prison officials say mikhail khodorkovsky has been freed from jail. after president tin's surprise signing of apartment. overd been imprisoned for a decade. moscow with more on the details behind the release. yesterday, the news came as a surprise to everybody including saidrkovsky's lawyers who there was no way he signed a request for pardon. in previous years, he said he would not do that because it does imply that you except your guilt. what we are hearing from sources as morning is khodorkovsky was visited in prison by russian officials and told his mother was ill and an new case was being prepared against him. he was advised strongly to sign this piece of paper asking for a pardon. he did, indeed, do that. >> earlier, i spoke to douglas putint and asked him why made the decision now. >> it has taken a lot of people by surprise. khodorkovsky had been such a symbol. knew releasing him would have a big international residents, to say the least, at a time when russia has spent $50 billion on sochi. he has been under scrutiny for his humans rights rec

once mikhail khodorkovsky is a powerful oil magnate, russia's richest man. then he was put on trial and charged with fraud and tax evasion. he always insisted he was innocent, the victim of a kremlin plot to prevent him from challenging mr. putin. why is he being released now? wider prisons as a amnesty looks set to release protesters from greenpeace and the riot -- bbc world news -- pussy riot rockband. it may be part of improving russia's image ahead of the olympics. it may also be a signal president putin no longer fears opposition rivals and can be generous in releasing them. >> khodorkovsky released just ahead of the sochi olympics. president obama has issued an ominous warning on the violence in south sudan. the u.s. is urging south sudan leaders to come together to begin political dialogue. the united nations says at least 11 civilians who sought refuge were killed when another ethnic group stormed the compound. uganda has passed a controversial bill that increases the penalty for gay sex. it also makes a crime not to report gay people to the police a

in 2003, mikhail khodorkovsky got into politics.ed funding the opposition parties, notably the communist party. president putin didn't like that. he was charged with the fronting the state, embezzling and he spent a decade in prison. >> he denied those charges. he spent in decade prison saying he wouldn't ask for a pardon because in russia a pardon presupposes an admission of guilt. he maintains that he was simply on the receiving end of a vendetta. was justident putin intent on getting rid of him. this.l me i am slightly skeptical. why is putin doing this? why do it now? is it that he is getting so much bad press over sochi? is it a zeitgeist moment in russia? is it a change? >> i don't know if it is a zeitgeist moment in russia. it is a symbolic moment. i think there is a possibility that print and -- president putin is doing this because russia has got a bad image not just in terms of its investment climate but also with the olympics coming up, the anti-gay laws. this is a way of taking the temperature down between russia and the

an hour later, mikhail khodorkovsky left the prison and blue to berlin and had this message for those had supported him. >> he was sent to the penile colony in 2003. khodorkovsky was named as prisoner of conscious by amnesty international. he was one the richest man in russia. business company was broken up and sold off mostly to state oil company after his arrest on fraud and tax evasion charges. his surprise release seen by russian commentators as an attempt by the president to brush up his image. >> at a time when he is referred to as -- as bad, as an evil leader, he is suddenly attracts the whole world to himself as a merciful leader who can pardon. >> reporter: on thursday at a marathon four-hour news conference, the president announced an amnesty that would free 25,000 people including the punk group pussy riot, and the arctic 30. this shows how serious he is about trying to silence his critics in the west over his record at a time when russia will be under microscopic examination as they arrive for the winter olympics in just six week's time. >> a very welcome to the studio. ho

from behind bars to learn former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is in germany looking forward to being reunited with his family following his pardon i am released from prison. defense at a price eight and a half trillion dollars goes on accounted for in less than two decades as part of the effort to keep the pentagon running. and friday prayers turned violent in the police dispersed supporters of the ousted president who were protesting against the law restricting demonstrations. and i welcome you watching r.t. international coming to you live from moscow. now just as after being released from prison mikhail khodorkovsky is back in the lap of luxury the former oil tycoon was one of russia's richest men before being jailed a decade ago but following his presidential pardon he jumped on a private jet flew to berlin and is now in a five star hotel while our correspondents are following the story in russia and in germany so let's cross live now it's a roll over and lindsay fronts firstly to pay to his in in place a lot of questions being asked here firstly who's picking up this bill

stunt a smart move but most intriguingly about what's next for mikhail khodorkovsky and he's now a r.t. moscow and while in russia news of what are called caves really is came as a shock high profile european figures well more reserved in their reaction as laura smith reports. i've been looking at the newspapers this morning and of course they are all covering it the guardian newspaper is pretty muse's itself it calls the development unexpected but the telegraph newspaper used the word uses the word bombshell not once but twice in the article what it's writing about the pardon of had of course so it has come as a big surprise here we've had a little bit of reaction particularly out of germany the foreign minister says that he hopes for a quick release which we understand it will be the case and calls the pardoning a good decision. chancellor says that she's glad that it's finally happening she said maintains that she's been pushing for it in various meetings with president putin over the years and the head of the european parliament martin shultz also says that it's a step in the right

oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky says the entire family has been reunited in the german capital. also this hour washington is told to rein in defense spending at the pentagon amounting to eight point five trillion dollars. egypt's. prison break in two thousand and eleven. on the streets is. the first time in my life that the child. while the ongoing political witch hunt in egypt. we bring you the story of a schoolboy throw behind bars for showing support for the country's deposed leader . not from a studio. international. he has met his whole family in the german capital the former flew straight to berlin to being let out of a russian penal colony on friday following a presidential pardon of the reports from outside the hotel where he's believed to be staying. on the calcutta coast is most full day of freedom was a day of reunification with family here in berlin his son told us this is son pavel who'd flown from new york told us that the whole family had been reunited and that they were all very happy he really appreciates all of the support that he has received through lee's yea

legal cases brought against russia's former old tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky had to be reviewed moved by the country's highest court could then lead to previous sentences being overturned. a warning from kevin owen here in moscow at r.t. h.q. just after midnight here now our top story hell fire missiles drones and fighter jets the iraqi military is about to get an upgrade from the united states the lethal aid is meant to help baghdad fight al qaeda linked groups are gaining territories both in iraq and crucially in syria to you can reports. the iraqi prime minister asked for help because al qaeda is not just active in iraq but it's gaining territory to an extent that they're talking about in the islamic state the u.s. is now rushing dozens of hellfire missiles and surveillance drones to the iraqi government to combat this jihad is the insurgency there the cia is also reportedly helping them with targets inside iraq but al qaeda is gaining momentum in iraq largely because they've been able to establish a strong food hold in the neighboring syria so you have let's say a jihadi group cal

pardon deck's tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is riding the wave of media hype these days with journalists across the globe seeking to interview the former high profile prisoner but important questions about his company's controversial actions back of the one nine hundred ninety s. ago and asked such as how was connected or not to the murder of a mayor in the city where the oil giant was registered. spoke to the mayor's widow . and despite the fact that hunter kosky has escaped responsibility on those counts i am convinced he is behind my husband's murder. as you know that the hoof was shot dead on his way to work. he walked to work and he usually did and was shot he died from the last shot in the temple. but it does husband was the mayor of his few guns his murderer game tightly wound with one of the most notorious legal sagas of the russia the case from one thousand nine hundred five giant was based in new q ganske and they'd taxes to the city and the region. by yukos was registered there so when it came to tax revenues it was answering to the mayor of next to your guns but the whole of

pardon former tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky says he won't engage himself in politics or business but will dedicate himself to helping he's imprisoned comrades at his first press conference following his release he said he needs to pay back its debts to those still behind bars artie's peter oliver looked into one of the cases of ski's associates mikhail khodorkovsky entered into the press conference in a whirlwind of media hype into a room packed to the rafters with journalists many of whom were congratulating him on his release as a political prisoner however there is a nother side to the yukos saga one that's not often heard. free after ten years this is that some of these comments after his release brings i bros i mean your property. some of my comrades remain in jail they are my fellow sufferers for example my friend platon lebedev alexei pictures and there are still other political prisoners in russia not only those related to the you cause case i am free now and i'm asking you to think of it as something which symbolizes that the efforts of civil society can lead to the release of so

president putin says his ready to sign a pardon for russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky who spend more than a decade behind bars for the betterment and talks about. this announcement came up to person face more than four hours of questions from journalists on russia's domestic and foreign policy. and honesty international says hardline syrian rebels have established a new form of tyranny and forcing a reign of terror with secret prisons where children as young as eight are allegedly tortured. international news live from moscow you're watching our international with me. and welcome to the program and the breaking news this hour president vladimir putin says he'll sign a motion to pardon jailed russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky the businessman who spend more than ten years behind bars for bessel and has reportedly already filed a petition to be pardoned and joining me now live for more is on she is a gold piece kind of how they were so why has put in decided to pardon the businessman well the media conference lasted for over four hours with the biggest news really happened after it ca

reunited a day after being released from a russian prison for oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky meets his son in the german capital and hopes to see the rest of his family. washington is told still raining unaccountable defense spending at the pentagon amounting to eight point five trillion dollars since nine hundred ninety six. new charges are thrown at egypt's in bottled former eleven hundred more see a prison break in twenty eleven as the latest show of dissent on the streets is stifled by police in the first time in my life that the child is locked up in the mildred reason for having a look at and while the ongoing political witch hunt in egypt knows no bounds we'll bring you the story of a fifteen year old boy it's run behind bars for how they approach him was his sign on his school really. international news live from moscow you're watching also international with me as you know. thanks for joining us. we haled holocaust he has not his son in berlin former oil tycoon flu strain to germany after being let out of a russian penal colony on friday following a presidential pardon all the

at his first news conference as a free man for oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky says he's not interested in politics but says he will defend political prisoners. radical islamist rebels in syria allegedly massacred dozens of civilians during a battle in the suburbs of the capital damascus. also reporting this hour turkish police crackdown on protests over a corruption scandal that's put the other one government in the line of our top stories this. look back at the past seven days top stories and the latest developments this is the weekly. says he has no interest in pursuing politics or being involved in business he held his first major news conference in the german capital where he flew directly after being released from jail after ten years on he is in. calcutta cos he entered into the press conference in a whirlwind of media hype into a room packed to the rafters with journalists many of whom were congratulating him on his release as a political prisoner however there is a number side to the yukos saga one that's not often heard. free after ten years this is the sum of mikhail khodorko

tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is riding the wave of media hype these days with journalists across the globe seeking to interview the former high profile prisoner but important questions about his company's controversial actions back of the one nine hundred ninety s. going on asked such as how was you close connected to the murder or not of a mayor in the city where the oil giant was registered. spoke to the mayor's widow . and spite the fact that hunter kosky has escaped responsibility on those counts i'm convinced he's behind my husband's murder. that minute the hoof was shot dead on his way to work but the reporter profile that he walked to work and he usually did and was shot he died from the last challenge and the temple. so you just how clearly if you got his money every game tightly wound with one of the most notorious legal saw goes a long shot you can skip the mining giant you feel if you don't evade taxes to the city and the region if they let them buy new cars was registered then when it came to tax revenues that it was answering to the mayodan if you guns can use that argument wi