At risk of succumbing to the sentimental, I wanted to take a few moments to write about my experience this week traveling alongside the admirable Mrs. Marina Khodorkovskaya, the mother of Mikhail Khodorkovsky.  Marina and I spent a considerable amount of time together over the past two days, meeting with political representatives and civil society groups in both Brussels and Paris, the most notable outcome of which was of course the generous statement of solidarity made by the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering.

The strong support from Pöttering also comes on the heels of another important endorsement from French Deputy Hervé Mariton, president of the France-Russia group of deputies in the National Assembly, who took time off during a recent trip to Moscow to pledge his solidarity for the release of Mikhail Khodorkovsky.  Mariton succinctly grasped the precise situation of the Khodorkovsky case, and sent a clear message to Russia’s political leadership:  “If the situation of your son, who has become a symbol, would improve, that would mean that all of Russia would be doing better.“

These important achievements in the campaign to free Mikhail are in no small part due to Mrs. Khodorkovskaya – who upon meeting someone new is able to impress upon them the intimate human scope of this tragedy, and impart an understanding of these events that no lawyer, politician, or activist could possibly communicate.  She is the real deal, a true Russian patriot, and – on a personal level – someone I regard with immeasurable affection, like family.