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'''Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko''' ({{lang-ru|Александр Вальтерович Литвиненко}}) ([[30 August]] [[1962]]<ref name="telegraph">{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/25/db2502.xml|title=Alexander Litvinenko birth date|date=[[2006-11-25]]|publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]]| accessdate = 2006-11-25}}</ref><ref name="independent">{{cite web |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2013283.ece|title=Alexander Litvinenko obituary|date=[[2006-11-25]] | publisher=[[The Independent]]| accessdate = 2006-01-19}}</ref> – [[23 November]] [[2006]]) was a [[lieutenant-colonel]] in the [[Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation]] and later a [[Russia]]n [[dissident]] and [[writer]]. A son of a [[physician]], Litvinenko was schooled in [[Nalchik]], before being drafted into the [[Internal Troops]] of the [[Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs|Ministry of Internal Affairs]] as a private. After graduating in 1985 from the Kirov Higher Command School, he became a platoon commander in an Internal Troops regiment. Litvinenko became a [[KGB]] officer in 1986, and two years later, was moved into the [[Military counterintelligence of the Soviet Army|Military Counter Intelligence]].
'''Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko''' ({{lang-ru|Александр Вальтерович Литвиненко}}) ([[30 August]] [[1962]]<ref name="telegraph">{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/25/db2502.xml|title=Alexander Litvinenko birth date|date=[[2006-11-25]]|publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]]| accessdate = 2006-11-25}}</ref><ref name="independent">{{cite web |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2013283.ece|title=Alexander Litvinenko obituary|date=[[2006-11-25]] | publisher=[[The Independent]]| accessdate = 2006-01-19}}</ref> – [[23 November]] [[2006]]) was a [[lieutenant-colonel]] in the [[Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation]] and later a [[Russia]]n [[dissident]] and [[writer]]. A son of a [[physician]], Litvinenko was schooled in [[Nalchik]], before being drafted into the [[Internal Troops]] of the [[Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs|Ministry of Internal Affairs]] as a private. After graduating in 1985 from the Kirov Higher Command School, he became a platoon commander in an Internal Troops regiment. Litvinenko became a [[KGB]] officer in 1986, and two years later, was moved into the [[Military counterintelligence of the Soviet Army|Military Counter Intelligence]].


In 1991, he was promoted to the Central Staff, and specialised in [[counter-terrorism]] and infiltration of [[organized crime|organised crime]]. Six years later, he was promoted to senior operational officer and deputy head of the Seventh Section of the FSB. He was in charge of protecting Russian billionaire [[Boris Berezovsky]]. In November 1998, Litvinenko publicly accused his superiors of ordering the assassination of Berezovsky. He was arrested by Russian authorities and then released; he later fled to the [[United Kingdom]], where he was granted [[political asylum]] and citizenship. Litvinenko tried to publish a book in Russia in which he described [[Vladimir Putin]]'s rise to power as a [[coup d'état]] organised by the FSB. He stated a key element of FSB's strategy was to frighten Russians by [[Russian apartment bombings|bombing apartment buildings]] in Moscow and other Russian cities. He alleged the bombings were organised by FSB and blamed on Chechen terrorists to legitimise reprisals using military force in [[Chechnya]].
In 1991, he was promoted to the Central Staff, and specialised in [[counter-terrorism]] and infiltration of [[organized crime|organised crime]]. Six years later, he was promoted to senior operational officer and deputy head of the Seventh Section of the [[FSB]]. He was in charge of protecting Russian billionaire [[Boris Berezovsky]]. In November 1998, Litvinenko publicly accused his superiors of ordering the assassination of Berezovsky. He was arrested by Russian authorities and then released; he later fled to the [[United Kingdom]], where he was granted [[political asylum]] and citizenship. Litvinenko tried to publish a book in Russia in which he described [[Vladimir Putin]]'s rise to power as a [[coup d'état]] organised by the FSB. He stated a key element of FSB's strategy was to frighten Russians by [[Russian apartment bombings|bombing apartment buildings]] in Moscow and other Russian cities. He alleged the bombings were organised by FSB and blamed on Chechen terrorists to legitimise reprisals using military force in [[Chechnya]].


On [[1 November]] [[2006]], Litvinenko suddenly fell ill and was hospitalised. He died three weeks later, becoming a rare victim of lethal [[Polonium|polonium-210]] [[radiation poisoning]] under highly suspicious circumstances. The fact that Litvinenko's revelations about alleged FSB misdeeds were followed two years later by his poisoning led to public accusations that the Russian government was behind his death, resulting in worldwide media coverage. A British police investigation resulted in several suspects for the murder, but in May 2007, the British [[Director of Public Prosecutions]], [[Ken Macdonald]], announced that his government would seek to [[extradition|extradite]] [[Andrei Lugovoi]], the chief suspect of the case, from [[Russia]].<ref>{{citenews|title=British Prosecutors to Press Murder Charges in Litvinenko Case|url=http://voanews.com/english/2007-05-22-voa13.cfm|publisher=[[Voice of America]]|accessdate=2007-05-22|date=[[May 22]], [[2007]]}}</ref> On [[28 May]] [[2007]], the British [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office|Foreign Office]] officially submitted a request to the [[Government of Russia]] for the extradition of Lugovoi to face criminal charges in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|title=UK requests Lugovoi extradition|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6698545.stm|publisher=[[BBC]]|accessdate=2007-05-28|date=[[May 28]], [[2007]]}}</ref> On [[5 July]] [[2007]], Russia officially declined to extradite Lugovoi, citing the prohibition of extradition in Russia's constitution.
On [[1 November]] [[2006]], Litvinenko suddenly fell ill and was hospitalised. He died three weeks later, becoming a rare victim of lethal [[Polonium|polonium-210]] [[radiation poisoning]] under highly suspicious circumstances. The fact that Litvinenko's revelations about alleged FSB misdeeds were followed two years later by his poisoning led to public accusations that the Russian government was behind his death, resulting in worldwide media coverage. A British police investigation resulted in several suspects for the murder, but in May 2007, the British [[Director of Public Prosecutions]], [[Ken Macdonald]], announced that his government would seek to [[extradition|extradite]] [[Andrei Lugovoi]], the chief suspect of the case, from [[Russia]].<ref>{{citenews|title=British Prosecutors to Press Murder Charges in Litvinenko Case|url=http://voanews.com/english/2007-05-22-voa13.cfm|publisher=[[Voice of America]]|accessdate=2007-05-22|date=[[May 22]], [[2007]]}}</ref> On [[28 May]] [[2007]], the British [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office|Foreign Office]] officially submitted a request to the [[Government of Russia]] for the extradition of Lugovoi to face criminal charges in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|title=UK requests Lugovoi extradition|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6698545.stm|publisher=[[BBC]]|accessdate=2007-05-28|date=[[May 28]], [[2007]]}}</ref> On [[5 July]] [[2007]], Russia officially declined to extradite Lugovoi, citing the prohibition of extradition in Russia's constitution.

Revision as of 16:36, 12 September 2007

Александр Вальтерович Литвиненко
Alexander Litvinenko
Born(1962-08-30)30 August 1962
Voronezh, USSR
Died23 November 2006(2006-11-23) (aged 44)
London, United Kingdom
Occupation(s)KGB officer and later Russian dissident and writer

Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko (Russian: Александр Вальтерович Литвиненко) (30 August 1962[1][2] – 23 November 2006) was a lieutenant-colonel in the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation and later a Russian dissident and writer. A son of a physician, Litvinenko was schooled in Nalchik, before being drafted into the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs as a private. After graduating in 1985 from the Kirov Higher Command School, he became a platoon commander in an Internal Troops regiment. Litvinenko became a KGB officer in 1986, and two years later, was moved into the Military Counter Intelligence.

In 1991, he was promoted to the Central Staff, and specialised in counter-terrorism and infiltration of organised crime. Six years later, he was promoted to senior operational officer and deputy head of the Seventh Section of the FSB. He was in charge of protecting Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky. In November 1998, Litvinenko publicly accused his superiors of ordering the assassination of Berezovsky. He was arrested by Russian authorities and then released; he later fled to the United Kingdom, where he was granted political asylum and citizenship. Litvinenko tried to publish a book in Russia in which he described Vladimir Putin's rise to power as a coup d'état organised by the FSB. He stated a key element of FSB's strategy was to frighten Russians by bombing apartment buildings in Moscow and other Russian cities. He alleged the bombings were organised by FSB and blamed on Chechen terrorists to legitimise reprisals using military force in Chechnya.

On 1 November 2006, Litvinenko suddenly fell ill and was hospitalised. He died three weeks later, becoming a rare victim of lethal polonium-210 radiation poisoning under highly suspicious circumstances. The fact that Litvinenko's revelations about alleged FSB misdeeds were followed two years later by his poisoning led to public accusations that the Russian government was behind his death, resulting in worldwide media coverage. A British police investigation resulted in several suspects for the murder, but in May 2007, the British Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken Macdonald, announced that his government would seek to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, the chief suspect of the case, from Russia.[3] On 28 May 2007, the British Foreign Office officially submitted a request to the Government of Russia for the extradition of Lugovoi to face criminal charges in the UK.[4] On 5 July 2007, Russia officially declined to extradite Lugovoi, citing the prohibition of extradition in Russia's constitution.

Early life

Alexander Litvinenko was born as the son of physician Walter Litvinenko in the Russian city of Voronezh.[1] He graduated from secondary school in 1980 in Nalchik and was then drafted into the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs as a Private. After a year of service, he matriculated from the Kirov Higher Command School in Vladikavkaz. After graduation in 1985, Litvinenko became a platoon commander in an Internal Troops regiment that guarded valuables in transit and in 1988 moved to the KGB.[2][5]

Career in Russian security services

Litvinenko became an agent of the KGB in 1986. In 1988, he was officially transferred to the Third Chief Directorate of the KGB, Military Counter Intelligence. Later that year, after studying for a year at the Novosibirsk Military Counter Intelligence School, he became an operational officer and served in KGB military counterintelligence until 1991.[6]

In 1991, he was promoted to the Central Staff of the MB-FSK-FSB of Russia, specialising in counter-terrorist activities and infiltration of organised crime. He was awarded the title of "MUR veteran" for operations conducted with the Moscow criminal investigation department, the MUR. Litvinenko also saw active military service in many of the so-called "hot spots" of the former USSR and Russia. During the First Chechen War Litvinenko planted several FSB agents in Chechnya. Three of them were "caught to the end, thanks to our man in Nalchik [FSB]", according to Akhmed Zakayev, who also claimed that Chechens did not kill Litvinenko during the war mostly because they "did not want to compromise our own man" [7]. In 1997, Litvinenko was promoted to the Department for the Analysis of Criminal Organisations of the FSB, with the title of senior operational officer and deputy head of the Seventh Section. He was in charge of the protection of Boris Berezovsky, when Berezovsky held a government position.[8] Despite news reports to the contrary, Litvinenko's wife claims that he was never a 'spy' and did not deal with secrets beyond information on operations against organised criminal groups.[9]

Dissidence

On 17 November 1998, during the period that Vladimir Putin was the head of the FSB, five officers of FSB's Directorate for the Analysis of Criminal Organizations appeared at a press conference in the Russian news agency Interfax. The five officers, including the director of the Seventh Department, Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Gusyk, three senior operative officers — Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Litvinenko, Major Andrey Ponkin, and Colonel V. V. Shebalin, Lieutenant Constantin Latyshonok, and Gherman Scheglov accused the director of the Directorate for the Analysis of Criminal Organizations Major-General Evgenii Khokholkov and his deputy, 1st Rank Captain Alexander Kamishnikov of ordering them in November 1997 to assassinate Boris Berezovsky, a Russian businessman who then held the high government post of Secretary of the Security Council and was close to President Boris Yeltsin; Berezovsky later fled to the UK to avoid criminal charges. The officers also claimed they were ordered to kill Mikhail Trepashkin and to kidnap a brother of the businessman Umar Dzhabrailov. Mikhail Trepashikin was present as a victim of the planned assassination.

Several other FSB officers were also present to support the claims.[10][11] The leader of the Democratic Russia party and proponent of lustration, Galina Starovoitova, was murdered just three days later.[12] However, the official investigation of Starovoitova death did not establish a connection with FSB actions [13], and six killers were judged and sentenced in 2005 and 2006.[14][15] Litvinenko was dismissed from the FSB, and then arrested twice on charges which were dropped after he had spent time in Moscow prisons. In 1999, he was arrested on charges of abusing duties during the anti-terrorist campaign in Kostroma (beating citizens during arrest and stealing explosives)[16]. He was released a month later after signing a written undertaking not to leave the country.

On 23 May 2007, Sergey Dorenko, formerly a prominent Russian TV host, provided The Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal with the full video tape of the interview of Alexander Litvinenko and his fellow employees of FSB recorded by him in April 1998, where the agents confessed that their bosses had ordered them to kill, kidnap or frame up prominent Russian politicians and businesspeople, and thus made it publicly available in full for the first time. Only some excerpts of the video were shown in 1998.[17]

Flight

Litvinenko fled to Turkey from Ukraine on a forged passport using the alias Chris Reid, as his actual passport was confiscated by Russian authorities after criminal charges were filed against him. Litvinenko's wife Marina and five-year-old son Anatoly entered Turkey legally. With the help of Alexander Goldfarb, Litvinenko bought air tickets for the Istanbul-London-Moscow flight,[18] and asked for political asylum at Heathrow airport during the transit stop on November 1 2000.[19] Political asylum was granted on 14 May 2001.[20] In October 2006 he became a naturalised British citizen living in Whitehaven.[21]

Allegations against the Russian Government

Alexander Litvinenko accused in various interviews that the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General-Staff of the Russian armed forces had organized the 1999 Armenian parliament shooting that killed prime minister of Armenia Vazgen Sarkisian.[22] The Russian embassy in Armenia quickly denied any such involvement issuing the statement “in connection with recent press articles about the alleged involvement of the Russian special services in the tragic events at the Armenian parliament on 27 October 1999.” It also described it as an attempt to harm relations between Armenia and Russia by people against the democratic reforms in Russia.

Litvinenko alleged that agents from the FSB coordinated the 1999 Russian apartment bombings that killed more than 300 people, whereas Russian officials blamed the explosions on Chechen separatists. This version of events was suggested earlier by David Satter,[23] and Sergei Yushenkov, vice chairman of the Sergei Kovalev commission created by the Russian Parliament to investigate the bombings. However, Litvinenko provided many new factual details in his book. In December 2003 Russian authorities confiscated over 4000 copies of the book en route to Moscow from the publisher in Latvia.[24] In the book Gang from Lubyanka (Лубянская преступная группировка), Litvinenko alleged that Vladimir Putin during his time at FSB was personally involved in organised crime.

File:Vityaz 48 167.jpeg
Upper house chairman Sergei Mironov visiting the interior ministry training centre Vityaz.

Litvinenko stated in a June 2003 interview, with the Australian television programme Dateline, that two of the Chechen terrorists involved in the 2002 Moscow theatre siege — whom he named as "Abdul the Bloody" and "Abu Bakar" — were working for the FSB, and that the agency manipulated the rebels into staging the attack.[25] Litvinenko said: "[w]hen they tried to find [Abdul the Bloody and Abu Bakar] among the dead terrorists, they weren't there. The FSB got its agents out. So the FSB agents among Chechens organized the whole thing on FSB orders, and those agents were released." The story about FSB connections with the hostage takers was confirmed by Mikhail Trepashkin.[10] [26] "Abu Bakar" (real name probably Khanpasha Terkibaev [1]) was also described as FSB agent and actual organizer of the terrorist act by Anna Politkovskaya, Alexander Khinshtein and other journalists [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] In the beginning of April 2003 Litvinenko gave "the Terkibaev file" to Sergei Yushenkov when he visited London. Yushenkov passed this file to Anna Politkovskaya [7]. A few days later Yushenkov was assassinated. Terkibaev was killed in a car crash in Chechnya.

In a July 2005 interview with the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, Litvinenko alleged that Ayman al-Zawahiri was trained for half of a year by the FSB in Dagestan in 1998.[33][34] According to FSB spokesman Sergei Ignatchenko, Ayman al-Zawahiri was arrested by Russian authorities in Dagestan in December 1996 and released in May 1997.[35]

With regard to July 2005 bombings in London, Litvinenko said that "all the bloodiest terrorists of the world" were connected to FSB-KGB, including Carlos "The Jackal" Ramírez, Yassir Arafat, Saddam Hussein, Abdullah Öcalan, Wadie Haddad of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, George Hawi who led the Communist Party of Lebanon, and Ezekias Papaioannou from Cyprus. He said that the "terrorism infection creeps away worldwide from the cabinets of the Lubyanka Square and the Kremlin".[36][37] These claims are supported by the Mitrokhin archive.[citation needed]

In July 2006 Litvinenko alleged in an article that Putin was a paedophile.[38] He compared Putin to rapist and serial killer Andrei Chikatilo. He wrote that among people who knew about Putin's paedophilia were Anatoly Trofimov and the editor of the Russian newspaper "Top Secret", Artyom Borovik, who died in an aeroplane crash under suspicious circumstances just a week after trying to publish a paper about this subject.[39] Former FSB officer Mikhail Trepashkin now states he warned Litvinenko in 2002 about an FSB unit assigned to assassinate him.[40]

File:2686.vid-0008-l-.jpg
Russian task force Vityaz shooting at the image of Alexander Litvinenko.

Alexander Litvinenko also accused Vladimir Putin of personally ordering the assassination of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya and stated that politician Irina Hakamada warned Politkovskaya about threats to her life coming from the Russian government. In that regard, Politkovskaya asked for a piece of advice from Litvinenko. He advised her to escape from Russia immediately. Irina Hakamada denied her involvement in passing any specific threats, and said that she warned Politkovskaya only in general terms more than a year ago, and that Politkovskaya blamed her and Mikhail Kasyanov for becoming the Kremlin's puppets.[41]

When Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov commented on a new law that "Russia has the right to carry out preemptive strikes on militant bases abroad" and explained that these "preemptive strikes may involve anything, except nuclear weapons", Litvinenko said that "You know who they mean when they say 'terrorist bases abroad'? They mean us, Zakayev and Boris, and me"[7].

In January 2007, Polish newspaper Dziennik revealed that a picture of Litvinenko was used as a shooting target by the Russian special forces unit Vityaz. The targets were photographed by chance when the chairman of the Russian Duma's upper house Sergei Mironov visited the centre and met its head Sergei Lysiuk on 7 November 2006.[42][43]

Allegations concerning Romano Prodi

In April 2006, a British Member of the European Parliament for London, Gerard Batten of United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), stated that Litvinenko had been told that Romano Prodi, the Italian centre-left leader, the current Prime Minister of Italy and former President of the European Commission, had been the KGB's "man in Italy." Batten demanded an inquiry into the allegations. He told the European Parliament that Litvinenko had been informed by FSB deputy chief, General Anatoly Trofimov (who was shot dead in Moscow in 2005) that "Romano Prodi is our man (in Italy)".[44] According to Brussels-based newspaper, the EU Reporter on 3 April 2006, "another high-level source, a former KGB operative in London, has confirmed the story".[45]

However, there is at least one possible contrasting view regarding Litvinenko's reported allegations against Prodi: an interview which, according to La Repubblica, one of the main Italian newspapers, Litvinenko had given to one of its reporters on 3 March 2005. In this interview, published shortly after Litvinenko's death, it was revealed that in March 2004, he had been asked by Mario Scaramella (see below) if the tip that Prodi had passed on about the safe house where Aldo Moro was held after being kidnapped by the Red Brigades had its source in the KGB (and not in a séance, as Prodi had claimed); and if the KGB were behind Moro's kidnapping and the training of the Red Brigades. Litvinenko's reply, according to La Repubblica, was: "I said that I did not know any details about Moro's kidnapping and that I had never heard Prodi mentioned. I just pointed out that, if they wanted to hear my opinion as an expert, it was hardly believable that Prodi had learned that piece of information during a séance and that surely the KGB had followed the kidnapping trying to acquire information. I did not have and I do not have any kind of evidence about Prodi."[46]

On 26 April 2006, Batten repeated his call for a parliamentary inquiry, revealing that "former, senior members of the KGB are willing to testify in such an investigation, under the right conditions". He added, "It is not acceptable that this situation is unresolved, given the importance of Russia's relations with the European Union".[47]

On 22 January 2007, the BBC and ITV News released documents and video footage, from February 2006, in which Litvinenko made the same allegations against Prodi.[48][49]

Illness and poisoning

Main article: Alexander Litvinenko poisoning

On 1 November 2006, Litvinenko suddenly fell ill and became hospitalised. His illness was later attributed to poisoning with radionuclide polonium-210 after the Health Protection Agency found significant amounts of the rare and highly toxic element in his body. In interviews, Litvinenko stated that he met with two former KGB agents early on the day he fell ill - Dmitry Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoi, though they deny any wrongdoing. The men also introduced Litvinenko to a tall, thin man of central Asian appearance called 'Vladislav Sokolenko' whom Lugovoi said was a business partner. Lugovoi is also a former bodyguard of Russian ex-prime minister Yegor Gaidar (who also suffered from a mysterious illness in November 2006). Later, he had lunch at Itsu, a sushi restaurant on Piccadilly in London, with an Italian acquaintance, Mario Scaramella, to whom he made the allegations regarding Italy's Prime Minister Romano Prodi.[50] Scaramella, attached to the Mitrokhin Commission investigating KGB penetration of Italian politics, claimed to have information on the assassination of Anna Politkovskaya, 48, a journalist who was killed at her Moscow apartment in October 2006.

Marina Litvinenko, widow of the deceased, accused Moscow of orchestrating the murder. Though she believes the order did not come from Putin himself, she does believe it was done at the behest of the authorities, and announced that she will refuse to provide evidence to any Russian investigation out of fear that it would be misused or misrepresented.[51]

On 20 January 2007 British police announced that they have "identified the man they believe poisoned Alexander Litvinenko. The suspected killer was captured on cameras at Heathrow as he flew into Britain to carry out the murder." [52] The man in question was introduced to Litvinenko as 'Vladislav Sokolenko'. This name was an alias used by the killer as he had entered Britain using a fake EU passport. Because of the sloppy manner in which the polonium-210 was handled and left traces at several locations, it is very possible that Sokolenko is a Hamburg-based Chechen hitman known to the FSB as 'Pабочий' or 'Roustabout', named such because he previously worked on an oil rig and because of his willingness to move wherever work takes him. Roustabout has been compared to a clown in a traveling-circus - clumsy yet brave. He has also been an associate of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov.

As of 26 January 2007, British officials said police had solved the murder of Litvinenko. They discovered "a 'hot' teapot at London's Millennium Hotel with an off-the-charts reading for polonium-210, the radioactive material used in the killing." In addition, a senior official said investigators had concluded the murder of Litvinenko was "a 'state-sponsored' assassination orchestrated by Russian security services." The police want to charge former Russian spy, Andrei Lugovoi, who met with Litvinenko on 1 November 2006, the day officials believe the lethal dose of polonium-210 was administered.[53]

On the same day, The Guardian reported that the British government was preparing an extradition request asking that Andrei Lugovoi be returned to the UK to stand trial for Litvinenko's murder.[54] On 22nd May 2007 The British Crown Prosecution Service called for the extradition of Russian citizen Andrei Lugovoi to the UK on charges of murder .[55] Lugovoi dismissed the claims against him as "politically motivated" and said he did not kill Litvinenko.[56]

Conversion to Islam

Two days before his death, Litvinenko, a disenchanted Russian Orthodox Christian, informed his father that he had converted to Islam: the actual conversion happened at a point during his sickness but before he knew he was going to die.[57][58] Akhmed Zakayev, Foreign Minister of Chechen government-in-exile who lived next door to Mr Litvinenko and considered him "as a brother,"[59] said: "He was read to from the Qur'an the day before he died and had told his wife and family that he wanted to be buried in accordance with Muslim tradition."[60] According to Vladimir Bukovsky, Litvinenko accepted Islam mostly to show his solidarity with Chechen people, whom he felt were brutally oppressed by Russians.[61] Before his burial, prayers were said for Litvinenko at London Central Mosque.[62] Litvinenko's reported conversion to Islam and the related wish for Muslim funeral rites were recognised by his father. However, his widow, Marina, as well as his close friend (and press spokesman during his illness), Alexander Goldfarb, preferred a non-denominational ceremony.[63]

Death and last statement

On 22 November, Litvinenko's medical staff at University College Hospital reported he had suffered a "major setback" due to either heart failure or an overnight heart attack; he died the following day. Scotland Yard reported that, "Inquiries continue into the circumstances surrounding how Mr Litvinenko, 43 years, of North London, became unwell."[64]

On 24 November, a posthumous statement was released. Litvinenko's friend Alex Goldfarb, who is also the chairman of Boris Berezovsky's Civil Liberties Fund, said Litvinenko had dictated it to him three days earlier. Andrei Nekrasov said his friend Litvinenko and Litvinenko's lawyer composed the statement in Russian on 21 November and translated it to English.[65]

I would like to thank many people. My doctors, nurses and hospital staff who are doing all they can for me, the British police who are pursuing my case with vigour and professionalism and are watching over me and my family. I would like to thank the British government for taking me under their care. I am honoured to be a British citizen.

I would like to thank the British public for their messages of support and for the interest they have shown in my plight.

I thank my wife Marina, who has stood by me. My love for her and our son knows no bounds.

But as I lie here I can distinctly hear the beating of wings of the angel of death. I may be able to give him the slip but I have to say my legs do not run as fast as I would like. I think, therefore, that this may be the time to say one or two things to the person responsible for my present condition.

You may succeed in silencing me but that silence comes at a price. You have shown yourself to be as barbaric and ruthless as your most hostile critics have claimed.

You have shown yourself to have no respect for life, liberty or any civilised value.

You have shown yourself to be unworthy of your office, to be unworthy of the trust of civilised men and women.

You may succeed in silencing one man but the howl of protest from around the world will reverberate, Mr Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life. May God forgive you for what you have done, not only to me but to beloved Russia and its people.

Putin disputed the authenticity of this note while attending a Russia-EU summit in Helsinki:

It is a pity that tragic events like death have been used for political provocations. Those who did it [concocted the note] are not God, and Mr. Litvinenko is unfortunately not Lazarus.[66][67]

His postmortem took place on 1 December at the Royal London Hospital's institute of pathology and is now complete. It was attended by three physicians, including one chosen by the family and one from the Foreign Office.[68] Litvinenko was buried at Highgate Cemetery in north London on 7 December.[62]The police are treating his death as murder.[69] On 25 November, two days after Litvinenko's death, an article attributed to him was published by The Mail on Sunday entitled "Why I believe Putin wanted me dead".[70]

In an interview with the BBC broadcast on 16 December 2006, Yuri Shvets said that Litvinenko had created a 'due diligence' report investigating the activities of a senior Kremlin official on behalf of a British company looking to invest "dozens of millions of dollars" in a project in Russia. He said the dossier was so incriminating about the senior Kremlin official, who was not named, it was likely that Litvinenko was murdered out of spite. He alleged that Litvinenko had shown the dossier to another business associate, Andrei Lugovoi, who had worked for the KGB and later the FSB. Shvets alleged that Lugovoi is still an FSB informant and he had spread copies of the dossier to members of the spy service. He said he was interviewed about his allegations by Scotland Yard detectives investigating Litvinenko's murder. Shvets has also doubted Litvinenko's capacity to perform honest unbiased due diligence.[71] The poisoning and consequent death of Litvinenko was not widely covered in the Russian news media.[72]

In Feb-2007, Russian Federation president Vladimir Putin said:

With regards to Litvinenko, I do not have much to add here, except what I have already said. Aleksandr Litvinenko was dismissed from the security services. Before that he served in the convoy troops. There he didn’t deal with any secrets. He was involved in criminal proceedings in the Russian Federation for abusing his position of service, namely for beating citizens during arrests when he was a security service employee and for stealing explosives. I think that he was given three years on probation, so there was no need to run anywhere. He did not have any secrets. Everything negative that he could say with respect to his service and his previous employment, he already said a long time ago, so there could be nothing new in what he did later. I repeat that only the investigation can tell us what happened. And with regards to the people who try to harm the Russian Federation, in general it is well-known who they are. They are people hiding from Russian justice for crimes they committed on the territory of the Russian Federation and, first and foremost, economic crimes. They are the so-called runaway oligarchs that are hiding in western Europe or in the Middle East. But I do not really believe in conspiracy theories and, quite frankly, I am not very worried about it. The stability of Russian statehood today allows us to look down at this from above.[73]

This contradicts to Putin's previous statements in interview to Yelena Tregubova when he claimed that he personally fired Litvinenko for a different reason:

"I fired Litvinenko and disbanded his unit ...because FSB officers should not stage press conferences. This is not their job. And they should not make internal scandals public" [7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Alexander Litvinenko birth date". The Daily Telegraph. 2006-11-25. Retrieved 2006-11-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b "Alexander Litvinenko obituary". The Independent. 2006-11-25. Retrieved 2006-01-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "British Prosecutors to Press Murder Charges in Litvinenko Case". Voice of America. May 22, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "UK requests Lugovoi extradition". BBC. May 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Alexander Litvinenko birth date". The Times. 2006-11-25. Retrieved 2006-11-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Template:Ru iconАлександр Подрабинек (2002-10-10). "Офицер ФСБ дает показания". Агентство ПРИМА. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b c d Alex Goldfarb and Marina Litvinenko. Death of a Dissident: The Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko and the Return of the KGB, The Free Press (2007) ISBN 1-416-55165-4
  8. ^ Template:Ru icon"Радиоактивные политтехнологии: смерть Литвиненко осложнила проведение саммита Россия-ЕС". Пресс Дозор. 2006-11-30. Retrieved 2006-11-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Russian authorities likely behind Litvinenko's death, his wife says". International Herald Tribune. 2006-12-10. Retrieved 2006-12-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ a b Template:Ru icon"М. Трепашкин: «Создана очень серьезная группа»". Chechen Press State News Agency. 1 December, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Template:Ru icon"Березовский и УРПО / дело Литвиненко". "Агентура.Ру". November 27, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Litvinenko issues allegations against FSB". Amnesty International. 21 November 1998. Retrieved 2006-11-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Убийство Галины Старовойтовой раскрыто (Starovotova's killing uncovered)" (in Russian). NewsRU.ru. 20 December 2002. Retrieved 2007-02-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Обвиняемый по делу об убийстве Старовойтовой сознался во всем (The accused of Starovotova's killing confessed)" (in Russian). Glazok.ru. 13 April 2005. Retrieved 2007-02-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Верховный суд РФ оставил в силе приговор по делу об убийстве Старовойтовой (Federal Supreme Court approved verdict on Starovotova's killing)" (in Russian). Gazeta.ru. 15 February 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Transcript of Press Conference with the Russian and Foreign Media, 01 February, 2007 - Putin". Kremlin. 02 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ 1998 Tape Shows Russian Ex-Spy Fearful by Jim Heintz, The Associated Press, May 23, 2007.
  18. ^ Template:Ru icon"Александр Литвиненко: ярлык предателя не радует". Российская Газета. 30 March 2002. Retrieved 2006-11-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Template:Ru icon"Литвиненко получил убежище в Британии?". BBC. 15 May 2001. Retrieved 2006-11-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Template:Ru icon"Заявление Александра Литвиненко". lenta.ru. 15 May 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "Litvinenko was told that he was marked for death". Times. 22 November 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ "Russia Denies Involvement in 1999 Armenian Parliament Shooting". 12 May 2005. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "The Truth About Beslan". 29 November 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ "Russian editor questioned over seizure of controversial book (BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union, text of report by Russian news agency Ekho Moskvy )". Terror 99. 29 January 2004. Retrieved 2006-12-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Lazaredes, Nick (04 June 2003). "Terrorism takes front stage — Russia's theatre siege". SBS. Retrieved 2006-11-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ Dissident lawyer jailed on trumped up charges
  27. ^ Litvinenko `Rebellion' Poses Awkward Questions: Cannes Roundup By Iain Millar
  28. ^ Where is "ABUBAKAR?"
  29. ^ Russian Authorities Hedge Over Special Services Involvement In Moscow Theater Siege, by Anna Politkovskaya, Novaya Gazeta, May 5, 2003
  30. ^ A Critical Analysis of Western Realpolitik. The Case of Russia and Chechnya
  31. ^ The Moscow Hostage-Taking Incident (Part 1) By John B. Dunlop, Radio Free Europe
  32. ^ Chechen Bank Formation by Alek Akhundov, Kommersant Oct. 28, 2004]
  33. ^ Nyquist, J.R. (20 November 2006). "Kremlin Poison". Financial Sense Online. Retrieved 2006-11-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ Nyquist, J.R. (13 August 2005). "Is Al Qaeda a Kremlin Proxy?". Retrieved 2006-11-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ Gebara, Khalil (10 February 2005). "The End of Egyptian Islamic Jihad?". The Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 2006-12-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "The originator of the acts of terrorism in London was standing near Tony Blair". 19 July 2005. Retrieved 2006-11-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ Litvinenko, Alexander (23 March 2005). "The KGBism, Terrorism and Gangsterism are Triplets". Chechen Press. Retrieved 2006-12-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ Litvinenko, Alexander (5 July 2006). "The Kremlin Pedophile". Alexander Litvinenko. Retrieved 2006-11-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. ^ Template:Ru icon"Кремлевский чикатило»". Chechen Press Sate News Agency. 1 December, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  40. ^ "Ex-Spy Claims Litvinenko Was Targeted". Washington Post. 1 December, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ Template:Ru icon"Ирина Хакамада о партийном строительстве и экономической ситуации в России". Svoboda News. 4 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  42. ^ Rosyjscy komandosi strzelali do Litwinienki,Template:Pl icon Dziennik Online, 25 January 2007.
  43. ^ Google cache of the article on upper house chairman Mironov visiting Vityaz 7 November 2006Template:Ru icon. Accessed 30 January 2007.
  44. ^ "Former FSB General, Wife Shot Dead in Moscow". Mosnews.com. 11 April 2005. Retrieved 2006-11-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  45. ^ Donnelly, Cillian (3 April 2006). "Prodi Accused Of Being Former Soviet Agent". EU Reporter. Retrieved 2006-11-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  46. ^ "E Litvinenko raccontò "Volevano sapere di Prodi"" (in Italian). La Repubblica . 26 November 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  47. ^ Batten, Gerard (26 April 2006). "2006: Speech in the European Parliament: Romano Prodi". Gerard Batten MEP. Retrieved 2006-11-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  48. ^ "'Multiple attempts' on Litvinenko". BBC. 22 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  49. ^ "Litvinenko footage emerges". ITV News. 22 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  50. ^ Batten, Gerard (3 April 2006). "Gerard Batten MEP - "60 second speech to the European Parliament "Romano Prodi" - Strasbourg". United Kingdom Independence Party. Retrieved 2006-11-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  51. ^ "Dead spy's widow accuses Russian authorities". CNN. 10 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  52. ^ "Police match image of Litvinenko's real assassin with his death-bed description". Times Online. 20 January 2007. Retrieved 2006-01-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  53. ^ "Murder in a Teapot". "The Blotter" on ABCNews.com. 26 January 2007. Retrieved 2006-01-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  54. ^ UK wants to try Russian for Litvinenko murder The Guardian. 26 January 2007
  55. ^ "Russian faces Litvinenko charge". BBC News. 22 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  56. ^ "Spy Murder Charge "Politically Motivated"". Sky News. 22 May 2007. Retrieved 2006-05-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  57. ^ "Litvinenko's Father Says Son Requested Muslim Burial". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 5 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
  58. ^ "Poison probe visits Russia". Washington Times. 5 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
  59. ^ Morgan, Ian (13 August 2006). "Key figures in Alexander Litvinenko's death". 24dash.com. Retrieved 2006-12-05.
  60. ^ "Spy's contact and wife also poisoned". The Daily Telegraph. 2 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-23. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |second= ignored (help)
  61. ^ Template:Ru icon"Дело Александра Литвиненко не сходит со страниц британской прессы". svobodanews. 4 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  62. ^ a b "'Solemn' burial for murdered spy". BBC News. 7 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  63. ^ Campbell, Duncan (8 December 2006). "Confusion envelops Litvinenko even as he goes to the grave". The Guardian. Retrieved 2006-12-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  64. ^ "Poisoned Russian former spy dies". CNN. 23 November 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  65. ^ An interview with Andrei Nekrasov by Yury Veksler, Radio Liberty, 28 November 2006. Transcript in Russian, computer translation.
  66. ^ "Ex-spy's death should not be used for provocation - Putin". Novosti. 24 November 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  67. ^ "Press Conferences, Meetings with the Press, Press Statements". Kremlin. 24 November 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  68. ^ "No signs of Poisoning". Sky News. 01 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  69. ^ "Ex-spy's death to be treated as murder". BBC News. 7 January 2007. Retrieved 2006-01-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  70. ^ Litvinenko, Alexander (25 November 2006). "Why I believe Putin wanted me dead..." The Mail on Sunday. Retrieved 2006-12-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  71. ^ "Litvinenko murdered over damaging file on Russian business partner". DNAIndia. 2006-12-16. Retrieved 2006-01-22.
  72. ^ "Russian media shun poisoning case". BBC. 2006-11-20. Retrieved 2006-12-26.
  73. ^ "Transcript of Press Conference with the Russian and Foreign Media, 01 February, 2007 - Putin". Kremlin. 02 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Bibliography

External links

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