All news

Politkovskaya murder suspect to stand trial

Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov pleaded guilty to having given out journalist’s address to killers

A former police officer suspected of organizing the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya will be the first to stand trial on the case. On Monday, The Russian Investigative Committee pressed formal charges against him.

Retired police Colonel Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, a former witness in the case, is accused of giving out Politkovskaya’s address to killers. He’s also accused of organizing the shadowing of Politkovskaya, and giving the hitman a firearm fitted with a silencer. Pavlyuchenkov could have faced up to 20 years in prison or even a life sentence over his role in the murder, but cooperating with the investigators would result in a fast-tracked trial and milder sentence. The alleged killer, Rustam Makhmudov, was arrested in May 2011 in Chechnya. Six people, whom investigators accused of carrying out the actual shooting of Politkovskaya, were linked to the case overall. 

Renowned Novaya Gazeta reporter Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead on October 7, 2006, in the elevator of her apartment building downtown Moscow.