Russia frees jailed U.S. student

Tobin

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- U.S. Fulbright scholar John Tobin has been released from a Russian prison after serving half of a one-year drug sentence and winning a parole recommendation.

The student left the prison carrying his belongings in a shopping bag and escorted by two U.S. Embassy represenatatives. He was due to travel to the regional capital of Voronezh before going to Moscow.

Tobin, 24, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, was doing political research at a university in Voronezh, south of Moscow, when he was arrested outside a nightclub in January. He was allegedly found in possession of a matchbox containing marijuana.

He was sentenced three months later to 37 months in prison in Rossosh, in the Voronezh region, for obtaining, possessing and distributing marijuana.

Tobin denied the charges and his sentence was reduced to one year when a higher court overturned the distribution conviction. Court officials told CNN that the reduction in sentence came as part of a case review.

He became eligible for parole on Thursday, the halfway point of his sentence, and the parole board unanimously recommended his release, citing his exemplary behavior in prison.

The drug charges against the student came at a time when U.S.-Russian relations were already strained. They were exacerbated further when the Russian Federal Security Service claimed he was a spy in training with U.S. intelligence.

However, Tobin claimed that he was framed on the drug charges because he refused to work for Russian intelligence. No espionage-related charges were filed.

His case attracted global attention and was taken up by members of Congress from Connecticut, who wrote to Russian officials and pressed President George W. Bush to pursue the case with President Vladimir Putin.