After yesterday’s hearing of Lebedev’s appeal to mitigate his sentence the Velsk Court in the Arkhangelsk Region has reduced the prison term of former Menatep head, sentenced to 13 years in prison, by three years and four months. Lebedev’s attorney said that his client, who has spent nine years in prison, will be released in 6 months and 24 days – March 2, 2013

Lebedev submitted his appeal after applicable changes were introduced to the Criminal Code, reducing the punishment from ten years to seven.

However, the prosecution, which insisted on a smaller reduction of the period – up to 11 years and 3 months, may appeal against the judge’s decision within 9 days.

The position of the lawyers is that Platon Lebedev should not be detained for a single day and they have not yet decided whether to appeal today’s decision – the written text of the resolution needs to be studied first.

“I am absolutely certain that this decision has been made not in Velsk but in Moscow” – states Khodorkovsky’s lawyer Yuri Schmidt.

Also the court’s ruling has been welcomed by human rights advocates, who see it as a good sign. “I believe it’s a very important decision, which comes in line with the humanization of Penal law that has been pursued in recent years. I think it’s one of those good signs that the society has long been waiting for”, said the head of Presidential Human Rights Council, Mikhail Fedotov.

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