26.04.09

Svetlana Bakhmina, former YUKOS lawyer arrested in 2004 and sentenced to seven years, has been released from jail. Experts say this is because President Medvedev wants to indicate a new "gentler style" in relations between the state and citizens.

The Preobrazhensky Court in Moscow has approved early release on parole for former YUKOS lawyer Svetlana Bakhmina. According to lawyers, she confessed and sincerely regrets her actions. Bakhmina had already applied for early release twice, unsuccessfully. Experts say that the latest decision has been made because President Dmitri Medvedev wants to indicate a new "gentler style" in relations between the state and citizens.

Alexei Makarkin, vice president of the Political Techniques Center: "President Dmitri Medvedev has been accused of trying to secure the support of liberals but taking no real action to achieve this. Releasing Bakhmina is a message indicating that he's prepared to take concrete action." Makarkin isn't ruling out further measures of this nature: "At a recent meeting with the president, rights organization representatives reminded him of the scientists who have been convicted of espionage and have already served fairly long sentences. So we might see some changes in the Sutyagin case or the Danilov case."

Analyst Dmitri Oreshkin agrees that this is a political decision. In his view, Medvedev is demonstrating a shift from Vladimir Putin's hardline policies to "modern democracy with a human face."

Analyst Stanislav Belkovsky says: "By releasing Bakhmina, the authorities are sending the public two messages. Firstly, Russia's overcrowded prisons will see the release of inmates who don't pose a threat to society. Secondly, the president won't intervene in high-profile cases personally - everything will be decided at the level of the judiciary." However, says Belkovsky, there will be a political decision behind each controversial court ruling, even if it's never made public.

Translated by InterContact

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Source: RBC Daily