Lech Walesa, leader of the Solidarity movement, former President of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, gave an exclusive interview to the French radio station Radio France Internationale in which he called for Khodorkovsky to be released.

Correspondent Elena Servettaz asked Mr  Walesa:  “You have just taken a number of actions in regard to recent events in Russia: you have written letters referring to the Pussy Riot punk band members and Greenpeace activists. Furthermore, The Lech Walesa institute awarded Mikhail Khodorkovsky a prize “for courage”. Were you not afraid of the Kremlin’s reaction?”

The former Polish President responded: “Regarding the award for Mikhail Khodorkovsky – it was the decision of the whole board, in which I only have one vote. It is important to take this into account and not think that I personally awarded the prize to Mikhail Khodorkovsky. I rather see myself as Putin’s friend. Of course, I believe that Khodorkovsky should not be kept in prison, and, if I had the opportunity to talk about this with Putin, I would ask him to free Khodorkovsky.”