Hours later, as of 5PM ET Friday, VOA English News and other VOA language services still had nothing on U.S. reaction to Khodorkovsky’s release.
As of 5PM ET Friday, the Voice of America English website still shows nothing about the White House reaction to Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s release from a Russian prison.
Both RT (Russia Today) and Russian news agency RIA Novosti have reported on the White House statement on Khodorkovsky’s release a few hours ago. The VOA Russian Service also reported on it, but VOA English website and most other VOA language services did not.
“US ‘Welcomes’ Khodorkovsky Pardon but Raps Russia on Rights,” RIA Novosti, 23:07 20/12/2013
“Khodorkovsky’s release – LIVE UPDATES,” RT (Russia Today), Published time: December 20, 2013 13:02 Edited time: December 20, 2013 19:12.
RT (Russia Today) 19:11 GMT: The United States said Friday that it “welcomes” the Kremlin’s decision to pardon former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and other Russian prisoners but expressed concern about the mingling of politics and justice in Russia.
“Today’s humanitarian gesture is a positive development for Russian society, but we continue to be deeply troubled by selective justice in Russia,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement to RIA Novosti news agency. “If Russia is to achieve its potential to play its full role on the world stage, it must elevate the rule of law over political considerations.” RT (Russia Today)
The Voice of America (VOA) Russian Service website posted an exclusive news report that the White House has welcomed the release of Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, but on Friday the main VOA English news website has not updated its own news report on Khodorkovsky’s release after a pardon from President Putin and still has nothing on the White House comment. Many hours later, the report on Khodorkovsky on the VOA English news website has not been updated with any new information.
Also read: “Exclusive Voice of America Russian Service report on White House welcoming Khodorkovsky’s release,” BBG Watch, December 20, 2013.
Further UPDATE: Late Friday afternoon, VOA English News finally inserted these two sentences into its report on Khodorkovsky’s arrival in Germany:
The White House welcomed the pardon, calling it a “humanitarian gesture” and “a positive development for Russian society.” But National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden also voiced concern about what she described as “politically motivated investigations and selective prosecutions in Russia.”