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| Russia frees Khodorkovsky ex-partner Lebedev | Russia frees Khodorkovsky ex-partner Lebedev |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Platon Lebedev, the ex-business partner of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, has been released after spending 10 years in jail in Russia, officials say. | |
| Lebedev was due for release in May, but the Supreme Court on Thursday reduced his sentence. | |
| Platon and Khodorkovsky were convicted of tax evasion and theft after funding opposition parties and falling out with President Vladimir Putin. | Platon and Khodorkovsky were convicted of tax evasion and theft after funding opposition parties and falling out with President Vladimir Putin. |
| Mr Putin pardoned Khodorkovsky last month. Lebedev did not seek a pardon. | Mr Putin pardoned Khodorkovsky last month. Lebedev did not seek a pardon. |
| Improving image? | |
| Lebedev left the Velskaya prison in the northern Arkhangelsk region at about 22:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Friday, a prison service spokesman was quoted as saying by Russia's Ria Novosti. | |
| Lebedev was allowed to leave after the prison received a copy of the Supreme Court's ruling. | |
| Both men's convictions remain in place, despite repeated appeals. | |
| On Thursday, Supreme Court Judge Pyotr Serkov declared in the ruling, "Release Lebedev", after reducing his sentence so that it amounted to time served. | |
| But he did not change a court order under which Lebedev and Khodorkovsky had to pay 17bn roubles ($500m; £300m) in tax arrears. | |
| That debt is an obstacle to Khodorkovsky returning to Russia. He left for Germany in December. | |
| The releases are believed by many to be part of a drive to improve Russia's international image ahead of the Sochi Winter Olympics next month. | |
| Among other prominent inmates freed in the past few weeks were two women from the Pussy Riot protest group, jailed over the performance of a "punk prayer" critical of Putin in a Russian Orthodox church. | |
| Mr Platon used to head NFO Menatep, while Mr Khodorkovsky ran oil giant Yukos and was once Russia's richest man. | |
| Khodorkovsky and Lebedev were regarded by human rights groups as political prisoners but the Kremlin has denied using the courts for political purposes. | |
| They were arrested in 2003 and convicted in 2005 and then again in 2010. |