Medvedev deems Khodorkovsky guilty as long as court ruling remains in effect
MOSCOW. Jan 25 (Interfax) - Former Yukos head Mikhail Khodorkovsky must be considered a criminal as long as a court sentence handed down on him remains in effect, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said.
"As long as Mikhail Khodorkovsky's convictions remain in effect, he is considered guilty of the crime he committed. This is the only possible position for a president," Medvedev said at a meeting with students from Moscow Lomonosov State University's journalism department on Wednesday.
One of the students asked Medvedev whether a former Yukos lawyer said the truth when claimed that the president wanted to release Khodorkovskyh last summer but was prevented from doing so.
"This is untrue," Medvedev said.
"Unfortunately, the former Yukos head's personality has become a kind of bargaining chip for Khodorkovsky himself," he said.
"I would really like all political elements to be excluded from this case, because some serious polemics has unfolded around it," he said.
The European Court for Human Rights pointed out that legal criteria need to be used in treating this case, he said.
"It is well-known that the international court did not see any political motives behind this criminal process, but the future depends on relevant court rulings and Khodorkovsky himself," he said.
Asked whether Khodorkovsky could be pardoned, Medvedev said the ex-Yukos head had not made a pardon request and insisted that the president can pardon anyone only based on his or her written plea.