The Voice of America, 15/04/2013

Irina Yasina, the former Program Director of the Open Russia Foundation, established by Mikhail Khodorkovsky to promote a stronger and more democratic civil society, has shared some of her memories from that time in an interview with the Voice of America. Asked about the 20^th anniversary of the founding of Yukos, the journalist and  human rights defender replied:

“I didn’t work for Yukos for even a single day, but I did work for the Open Russia Foundation which was set up with the help of Yukos shareholders. So Yukos was the best thing that happened in my life.

It was interesting work, great people and an excellent organisation. Former employees of both Yukos and Open Russia are very puzzled by how people live now with such a, pardon me, low staff discipline. To commit to what’s been promised was the rule for us.

But I am very afraid that as long as Putin is in power, the guys imprisoned because of the Yukos case, will continue to be so. I hope I’ll be proved wrong.”