On March 8, 2012, a photography exhibit featuring the portraits of Russian opposition leaders, including Mikhail Khodorkovsky, by a well known Moscow photographer, Kirill Nikitenko, opened in Paris.

During the opening reception, full of media and high level people, Pavel Khodorkovsky, head of the Institute for Modern Russia, and his mother Elena Khodorkovskaya, curator of the exhibition, explained the concept of this exhiibition entitled “Russian Visionaries – Into the light”.

The exhibit is in itself visionary, as it has been invented a year ago, some months before the demonstrations began in Moscow. All of the pictured people are now famous, including outside Russia.

It already had been presented in New York last December, and in Moscow just before the presidential elections. It will end in Paris on March 15, and will go then to London. Both François Zimeray, french ambassador for human rights and André Glucksmann, philosopher spoke at the opening in Paris. François Zimeray stated:

“I was in the court during the second trial [of Mikhail Khodorkovsky] and I have been impressed by two major things. First, I’m a former lawyer, the strange atmosphere of this trial, with Khodorkovsky dimsnatled point by point the accusation but no one listening: not the prosecutor, not even the judge. Second: I have been very impressed by the courage, the willingness, the strength and, in a way, the optimism, the half-smile of Khodorkovsky. It is the same strength and courage that I can see in this picture of him. I don’t know how long it will take, how many days, months or more, but I can tell you that as far as Khodorkovsky is not released, France will be on your side, ready to help.”

André Glucksmann, added:

“The first one who convinced me that Khodorkovsky was a political prisoner and even more, was Anna Politkovskaïa. She explained to me that Khodorkovsky was not only a political prisoner, but also a hero, like these heroes from the 1825 revolution in Russia. When we look at all these faces, it reminds us thatwhat has been going on since December in Russia is much more than just politics: it is a revolt of the russian culture itself, it is Putsckin’s Russia ainst Putin’s Russia, and this is of great importance, as at the end, the culture always win.”