Medvedev and Merkel exchange thoughts about the fate of Mikhail Khodorkovsky

All procedures linked to the punishment of offenders, including Mikhail Khodorkovsky, should be based on domestic legislation, says President Medvedev. “They are not the subject of negotiation between states. That is a way in which the sovereignty of a State finds expression,” the Russian President said at a press conference in Berlin, after talks with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“And any convicted citizen, including Khodorkovsky, can apply for a pardon,” Medvedev added. The time is past in Russia when the Politburo of the Communist Party took the decision concerning one court case or another. “Our present life differs precisely because such procedures must now take place within the framework of the State and be the responsibility of the judicial system and, in certain cases, of the Head of State,” Medvedev believes.

In his words, “by observing these conditions, any appeal by any individual can be examined”. Russia must not return to the taking of political decision in cases before the courts, the president is convinced. He regards the development of the legal and judicial system in Russia as a “key priority in the country’s development”. He promised that he would therefore “take a personal interest in such matters”.

“It is a lengthy process,” Medvedev admitted, “that may require years for its implementation.” At the same time, he expressed the hope that a number of decisions to improve the judicial system and deter corruption would be taken in the near future. “I have issued a number of decrees. I hope that decisions will be taken [on the basis of these decrees] and we shall be able to complete the process in the coming months,” said the president.

For her part, Chancellor Merkel of Germany announced that she had spoken with the Russian President about the fate of Khodorkovsky. “The President indicated the route of legal security. I think that dynamic development could result but political influence in this question is another matter,” said Merkel.

She expressed the hope that in the near future “we will be able to see a greater openness in Russia”. She was cheered, she said, by the President’s declarations about “the primacy of law, and reliability and predictability [of the RF judicial system]”. “People must believe in the legal system of their country,” Merkel said, “and if there are such shifts in Russia we shall welcome them.”

(Interfax, 05.06.2008)