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Litvinenko Suspect Rejects British Trial
February 23, 2007 -- A key figure in the poisoning death of former Russian security services officer Aleksandr Litvinenko says he doubts be would be treated fairly by the British legal system.
Litvinenko died on November 23 after being poisoned with polonium-210.
British media reports describe Andrei Lugovoi -- a former KGB bodyguard -- as a prime suspect in the case.
Lugovoi denies involvement.
He told Ekho Moskvy radio that due to the negative media attention in Britain he does not believe he can get a fair hearing there.
Lugovoi also said he planned to ask British authorities for information about the investigation and about his status.
Lugovoi said when British authorities questioned him in December they told him he was a witness, not a suspect.
Litvinenko, a harsh critic of the Kremlin, issued a deathbed statement accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering his murder. The Kremlin denies the allegation.
(Reuters, AP)
Copyright (c) 2007. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
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