Defense Claims Fabricated Evidence in Russian Reporter Murder Trial

Posted Tuesday, February 17, 2009 12:00 am

By: A defense lawyer in the trial of three men charged with murdering Russian reporter Anna Politkovskaya has accused the prosecution of fabricating evidence.

Murad Musayev made the claim Tuesday in the defense's final arguments. He described the evidence against his client and two other defendants as "dust, fluff and ash."

Two Chechen brothers and a former Moscow policeman are charged with involvement in the 2006 shooting.

Musayev told the jury that each of the prosecutors' five main pieces of evidence were flawed and that some were fabricated.

Authorities link Politkovskaya's slaying to her job as a journalist who exposed alleged abuses in Chechnya.

A verdict is expected a few days after prosecutors' closing arguments.

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Defense Claims Fabricated Evidence in Russian Reporter Murder Trial

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