This is Penal Colony 7 in Russia's northwest, once part of the Gulag labor camp system.<br/> <br />It's where former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky was kept before his surprise release on Friday.<br/> <br />He was jailed more than a decade ago for a theft conviction his supporters say was politically motivated.<br/> <br />Two other Kremlin critics were also given amnesty this week.<br/> <br />The mother of Maria Alyokhina, a member of the Pussy Riot punk band, had few details on her daughter's pardon.<br/> <br />Maria and another band member received two-year sentences for protesting against Russian President Vladimir Putin.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) MOTHER OF MARIA ALYOKHINA, NATALIA ALYOKHINA, SAYING:<br/> <br />"They don't say how long this whole thing will take. They just say there is a certain order and we have to follow it."<br/> <br />In Siberia, the husband of fellow band member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova stood vigil by her prison gates on Friday.<br/> <br />It was uncertain just when the release might happen.<br/> <br />(
