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Germany politicizing Berlin murder case, says Russian diplomat

Earlier, a Berlin court handed a life sentence to a Russian citizen charged in the murder of Georgian national Zelimkhan Khangoshvili two and a half years ago

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

© Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

MOSCOW, December 16. /TASS/. The murder case of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili a Georgian citizen of Chechen ethnicity, in 2019, in Berlin has been politicized, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the Soloviev Live YouTube channel on Thursday, commenting on the German Foreign Ministry’s decision to expel two Russian diplomats over the case.

"Berlin announced yesterday that it was expelling two Russian diplomats over a court ruling in the case. As we all understand, the case is politicized, to put it mildly, and has nothing to do with any notion of law and justice. I think that rereading the statement of the [convicted] Russian national’s lawyer is enough to understand a lot," she pointed out.

Earlier, a Berlin court handed a life sentence to a Russian citizen charged in the murder of Georgian national Zelimkhan Khangoshvili two and a half years ago. The court accepted the prosecution’s argument that the murder had been ordered by Russian state agencies. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said following the verdict that Berlin viewed the murder as "a violation of law and sovereignty" and announced the expulsion of two Russian embassy employees. Zakharova later said that Moscow would not let that move go unanswered.

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