Putin critic Khodorkovsky in Germany after pardon

2013-12-20 77

The Hotel Adlon in Berlin.

It's where former tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky was said to be on Friday, just hours after his sudden and unexpected release from a Russian prison.

Khodorkovsky flew by private jet to Germany where he was greeted by former German foreign minister Hans Dietrich Genscher.

A witness told Reuters he then traveled in a police convoy into the German capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin granted Khodorkovsky's request for a pardon on quote: "principles of humanity."

His release ends a decade in jail that many said was punishment for daring to challenge the Kremlin.

The amnesty could be seen as a move to deflect criticism over Putin's human rights record, as it prepares to host the Winter Olympics in February.