Marieluise Beck, German Green Party Spokesperson for Eastern European Affairs has been refused a visit with Mikhail Khodorkovsky in Segezha, where he is currently imprisoned. The number of permitted visits is strictly limited and Khodorkovsky’s parents sacrificed their right to their next one in order to make this face to face rendezvous happen. Mikhail Khodorkovsky had notified the Colony’s administration of Ms Beck’s visit.

Nevertheless, the German MP was told she could not see Mikhail Khodorkovsky as the colony administration suggested they had not received a statement from the prisoner. The defense team does not yet have any confirmation of the information about the missing statement, however everyone who has discussed the possibility of the meeting with Mrs Beck finds it very difficult to believe Mikhail Khodorkovsky would have abandoned the idea of such a meeting.

Marieluise Beck is going to stay in the town of Segezha until tomorrow, hoping that she might be let into the Colony, she will apply for the visit. She is a long time supporter of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev and on several occasions she has visited the Khamovnichesky Court during the trials.

Beck has published via Twitter @MarieluiseBeck that she arrived by night train, and Khodorkovsky wanted to transfer his parent’s visiting rights to her, but that the prison authorities still haven’t allowed the visit to happen.

And also:

“Segezha is a remote town, which houses the pulp and paper plant; the industry pollutes the city, and the smell is terrible. Telephone in the hotel does not work well. I have a diplomatic passport; therefore I do not need a visa. But the hotel needs a visa in order for me to check in. Clearly, they are afraid of strangers, because they could be suspected of being associated with the most famous prisoner of Russia.”

“The lawyers told us not to give up. Perseverance and patience are important in such case. In the hotel room my Russian-speaking assistant and I have written request to the colony, with reference to the rules of law. Formally, the decision is after the colony. And we won’t show mercy. We are heading back to the prison camp.”

P.S. Ms Beck did not manage to get a permission to visit Mikhail Khodorkovsky

Below are the photographs of the Colony made by the German MP:

Marieluise Beck reading ‘Michail Chodorkowski: Briefe aus dem gefängnis’ on the train on her way to Segezha