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Russia journalist murder suspects acquitted

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The Moscow Military District Court on Friday acquitted three men suspected of being involved in the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. The three men, Sergei Khadzhikurbanov and Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov, were released  after a jury on Thursday found the evidence against them insufficient for a conviction . Colonel Pavel Ryaguzov has also been acquitted for charges related to the case. The judge in the case, Yevgeniy Zubov, has ordered a new investigation into Politkovskaya's murder, and prosecutors have 10 days to appeal the verdict.  A lawyer for one of the accused alleged Tuesday that prosecutors had fabricated evidence  and pointed to other irregularities in the evidence including a lost DVD with security camera footage and claims of other prosecutorial misconduct. Since the trial began in October, judge Yevgeniy Zubov has closed and then opened the proceedings to the public three times, citing juror security concerns and the presentation of classified information. After Thursday's jury finding, Amnesty International urged Russian authorities to continue the investigation.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on February 20, 2009 (boomark / email).