Freed Khodorkovsky challenges Putin over "political prisoners"

Former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky on Sunday promised not to seek power in Russia but said he would fight for the freedom of people he considered political prisoners, challenging Vladimir Putin two days after a presidential pardon freed him from jail.

Khodorkovsky told reporters in Berlin that "the struggle for power is not for me", but made clear he would put pressure on Putin and urged world leaders to do the same, saying his release should not be seen as a sign Russian repression is at an end.

"We need to work further so that there would be no more political prisoners left in Russia and other countries," he told a news conference at a museum commemorating the Berlin Wall from the Cold War era. "I am going to do my utmost in this regard."

Putin unexpectedly announced on Thursday that he would pardon Khodorkovsky, who had been in jail on fraud and tax evasion charges since he was arrested in 2003, during Putin's first term, and was seen by many as a political prisoner. He was released from a prison camp near the Arctic Circle on Friday and flew to Berlin, where he was reunited with relatives.

He said he would not advise leaders on how to deal with Russia's "complex" President but added: "I just hope politicians from Western countries will keep in mind that I'm not the last political prisoner in Russia when they talk to Putin."

Khodorkovsky said there were no conditions attached to his release and he had made no admission of guilt in asking Putin for a pardon.