RABAT, August 6. /TASS/. The authorities of the Central African Republic (CAR) have not yet provided any new information on the investigation into the murder of three Russian journalists to the Russian Embassy in Bangui, Russian Charge D'Affaires in CAR Viktor Tokmakov told TASS on Monday.
"The CAR authorities have not yet provided any new information on the course of the investigation into the murder of three Russian journalists," he said, adding that "the CAR authorities earlier promised to keep the Russian Embassy informed about investigative actions."
"The local authorities also count on assistance from the staff of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in investigating the murder," Tokmakov added.
"The personal belongings of the three slain Russian nationals and the car they travelled in are currently at the local gendarmerie. The authorities promised to keep them if Russian investigators decide to come to the CAR," the diplomat said. The Russian Embassy maintains regular contacts with the CAR authorities to receive new information on the investigation."
On July 31, the Russian Embassy in the Central African Republic said that three men were found dead near the city of Sibut (300 kilometers north of the CAR’s capital city Bangui) on July 30. The Russian Foreign Ministry later reported they had press cards featuring the names Kirill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguyev and Okhran Dzhemal. They entered the country as tourists and came to the CAR to work on a documentary.
The journalists’ bodies were transported to Russia on Sunday. According to Russian Investigative Committee Spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko, the committee will conduct a forensic medical examination of the bodies before they are handed over to relatives.