Russia 110601 Basic Political Developments

Politkovskaya murder suspect arrest – only one step towards solving crime

http://rt.com/news/politkovskaya-murder-arrest-russian/

Published: 1 June, 2011, 09:17

Edited: 1 June, 2011, 09:43

The man suspected of killing Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya has been brought to Moscow for interrogation. Prosecutors believe they are a little closer to solving the murder, one of the most high-profile slayings in recent Russian memory.

Rustam Makhmudov was detained in Chechnya on Tuesday, after almost five years on the run. He is accused of having fired the shots that killed Politkovskaya.

“Rustam Makhmudov’s arrest was carried out with the help of Belgian police, for he had been hiding for several years in Belgium,” announced spokesperson for the Investigative Committee, Vladimir Markov. “We’ve been in constant contact with them and it was this co-operation that helped us capture the suspect. Belgian police triggered the manhunt and Makhmudov was forced to leave the country. The investigators are currently questioning him in connection with the murder of Anna Politovskaya.”

An internationally-renowned journalist at Novaya Gazeta and author, Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead in October 2006 as she returned home. She was famous for her investigative work, particularly reports into human rights abuses.

It still remains unclear whether the arrest will reveal the real masterminds of the murder.

Makhmudov's two brothers, along with a former police officer, were acquitted of the murder in 2009 due to a lack of evidence. But the Russian Supreme Court annulled that verdict and ordered the investigation reopened.

Former colleagues believe that due to the close family ties of those accused of the murder, there will always be some unknowns surrounding the crime.

“It's hard to tell how many people are involved,” says Sergey Sokolov, deputy editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta. “We have three Makhmudov brothers and their uncle. He's a criminal boss and could easily be the mastermind of the murder. But relatives, especially Chechens, are unlikely to testify against one another.”

Politkovskaya's son Ilya hopes this arrest will bring his family closer to finding out who killed his mother.

“Of course it's a very important step, but we have to wait and see if Makhmudov's guilt will be proved. But even that is not enough. We have no clue as to who the mastermind of the murder is, or about the organizers. It's a significant part of the journey, but it's certainly not the end,” said Ilya Politkovsky.

The Politkovskaya case is not the only high profile case to see a recent breakthrough.

Journalist Nina Ognianova from the Committee to protect journalists thinks that this arrest, along with the recent convictions of the killers of freelance journalist Anastasia Baburova and human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov, show that these types of murders actually do get solved in today's Russia.

“This was a landmark victory in the fight against impunity in Russian journalist murders, not just journalists, but also human rights defenders and lawyers. And we see that as a very significant step forward,” said Ognianova.

Rustam Makhmudov is now Moscow, where the investigation will continue to determine if he played a role in the killing of Anna Politkovskaya.

01 June 2011, 10:01

Man suspected of killing Ossetian poet belonged to radical Islamic group

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=8496
Moscow, June 1, Interfax - David Murashev, who is suspected of having killed prominent Ossetian poet and public figure Shamil Dzhikayev and who was killed in a special operation in Vladikavkaz on Tuesday, was linked to radical Islamists.

"The investigation possesses information indicating that the dead Murashev adhered to a radical trend in Islam," the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement posted on its website.

A pistol equipped with a laser sight and silencer was found on Murashev after he was killed. Three members of security forces were wounded in the operation.

The North Caucasus Federal District department of the Russian Investigative Committee had identified Murashev as a man suspected of murdering Dzhikayev and declared him federally wanted.

On Tuesday, Murashev was hunted down in Vladikavkaz and was killed after offering armed resistance in a special operation conducted by police and Federal Security Service department for North Ossetia.

An investigation into Dzhikayev's murder is continuing.

June 01, 2011 12:24

Prosecutors to check all Magnitsky-related criminal cases

http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?id=248310

MOSCOW. June 1 (Interfax) - Following the instruction of the Russian president, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office will conduct a massive inspection of all criminal cases related in one way or another to the activities and death of Hermitage lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, Prosecutor General's Office spokeswoman Marina Gridneva told Interfax.

"Given the high profile, and following the instruction of the Russian president, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office has set up a group of prosecutors, which included officers from various directorates, to strengthen and ensure qualified supervision over the process and results of the investigation of the criminal cases probed by the Russian Investigative Committee and the Russian Interior Ministry's Investigative Committee," Gridneva said.

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10:21 01/06/2011ALL NEWS

Post-graduates not be called up for military service – defence ministry.

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/155114.html

1/6 Tass 128

MOSCOW, June 1 (Itar-Tass) — Post-graduate students of state higher education establishments will not be called up for military service, a spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

Following Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s instructions, Minister of Defence Anatoly Serdyukov issued recommendations to call-up commissions in Russian regions not to conscript this category of young men, the spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, relevant amendments to national laws will be introduced in a regular manner.

12:02 01/06/2011ALL NEWS

Russian president’s human rights council meets in Makhachkala.

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/155216.html

1/6 Tass 174

MAKHACHKALA, June 1 (Itar-Tass) — The Russian president’ s council on civic society and human right has met for a session in the capital city of Russia’s North Caucasian republic of Dagestan on Wednesday.

“The issue of civic peace and intra-confessional accord, as well as observance of human rights is priority number one in the republic,” Dagestan’s head Magomedsalam Magomedov said opening the session.

“The authorities and human rights activists have a vast territory for cooperation. Our positions do not always coincide but it does not mean that we have to be on different sides of the barricade,” he said.

The session will last till June 2 and will be attended by Russian human rights’ commissioner Vladimir Lukin, chairman of the Russian Public Chamber commission on international relations and the freedom of conscience Nikolai Svanidze, chairwoman of the Moscow Helsinki group and member of the presidential council on civic society and human rights Lyudmila Alexeyeva. The session will be chaired by the council chairman Mikhail Fedotov.

04:53 01/06/2011Top News

Putin to tour child hematology center in Moscow Wed

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c32/154977.html

MOSCOW, June 1 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will tour a new complex at the Federal scientific and clinical center (FSCC) for child hematoogy, oncology and immunology here on Wednesday.

The government press service announced that the Premier "will attend a ceremony marking the completion of the construction of the complex, tour the premises of the Center, and meet with leading Russian and foreign specialists in child oncology and hematology".

The child hematology center was founded in 2005 on the basis of the child hematology research institute.

The FSCC now compises a scientific and clinical comlex for 232 beds with12 beds of an intensive therapy ward, a 270-room scientific and polycinincal complex designed for 270 visits a day with a day in-hospital for 20 beds; a laboratory complex; the hematology service proper with special monitoring of blood components; a 150-room boarding hospital for children with parents (300 beds) where patients will live between chemotherapy cycles and post-treatment rehabilitation periods.

One of major subdivisions of the Center is a department for radiation diagnosis and therapy, fitted out with up-to-date equipment, including a positron-emission tomograph, and means for endovascular surgery and radiosurgery.

The coming of the Center into operation will make it possible to give the necessary medical aid to 400 children at a time, give 1,700 sessions of chemotherapy and 3,000 sessions of radiotherapy, and include modern technologies in the medical treatment process (methods for genetic diagnosis of residual tumour and pinpoint molecular therapy methods) that have not been used in Russia so far.

Special emphasis in the medical treatment activities of the Center will be laid on the transplantation of bone marrow. This kind of treatment still remain in short supply in Russia up to now: about 150 bone marrow transplant operations are performed in Russia every year, with the overall demand being not less than 800-1,000 ones.The FSCC will carry out 250-300 transplant operations a year.

The Center has been built and fitted out in close cooperation with the German Council for the promotion of construction and operation of the Center. The Council was organized by public figures and medical specialists in September 2005 after a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed. The firm Transumed GmbH Medicintechnik (Germany) was the general contractor in building the Center under the turn-key project.

Twenty-eight physicians of the Center have undergone advanced training at leading clinics of Germany. Another 10 doctors are to be trained before the end of this year. Medical nursing instructors will be also invited to the Center from the leading university clinics of the United States and Germany, the government press service pointed out..

In all, over the past five years, 96 physicians and 54 researchers jave been trained for work at the Center.