Careful Optimism Following Medvedev’s Visit to Germany

From the Moscow Times:

There was also careful optimism at home about Medvedev’s comments. Yury Shmidt, a lawyer for Khodorkovsky, said by telephone from St. Petersburg that the statements were grounds for quiet optimism that Medvedev wanted to pursue judicial reform. “The important thing for us is that they ensure the independence of the courts,” he said, adding that this represented the real hope Khodorkovsky would be freed. Shmidt had discussed the Khodorkovsky case with visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier last month in St. Petersburg and said he was “very satisfied” that the subject had been broached during Medvedev’s meeting with Merkel.