Mikhail Khodorkovsky leaves Russian prison after Putin signs pardon By Diana Magnay and Olga Pavlova, CNN December 20, 2013 -- Updated 1151 GMT (1951 HKT) Mikhail Khodorkovsky is shown in Moscow in April 1998. NEW: Mikhail Khodorkovsky has left prison in Russia, his lawyer says President Vladimir Putin signed a decree pardoning Khodorkovsky Friday The former oil magnate and Kremlin opponent had been in prison since 2003 Russia has faced international criticism for its treatment of Khodorkovsky Moscow (CNN) -- Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky has left prison in Russia, more than 10 years after he was jailed, his lawyer Vadim Kluvgant told CNN on Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an amnesty decree for the former Yukos oil tycoon earlier in the day. Kluvgant would not say where the onetime oligarch was going. Putin's signature came a day after he announced that he planned to pardon Khodorkovsky. The oil magnate, who backed an opposition party, had been in prison since 2003 and was convicted in 2005 of tax evasion and fraud. He was due for release in 2014. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Putin said Khodorkovsky had written a letter appealing for a pardon, citing humanitarian factors. A statement Thursday on a website set up in support of Khodorkovsky said that it could not confirm plans for a pardon but "all of his family and supporters would of course be elated to see him finally free after ten years of imprisonment." Putin's announcement came a day after Russian lawmakers backed a sweeping amnesty law. The amnesty, to mark the anniversary of the adoption in 1993 of Russia's post-Communist constitution, will be applied to thousands of Russian prisoners, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported. It comes at a time when Russia's human rights record is in the spotlight, as the country prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi in February. Russia has faced international criticism for its treatment of Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, with countries including the United States accusing it of selective prosecution and abuse of the legal system. He has said his prosecution was part of a Kremlin campaign to destroy him and take control of the company he built from privatization deals of the 1990s. December 20, 2013 -- Updated 1154 GMT (1954 HKT)