Two defendants in Politkovskaya murder case get life sentences
MOSCOW. June 9 (Interfax) - The Moscow City Court on Monday sentenced five defendants in the Anna Politkovskaya murder case to life in prison to 12 years, an Interfax correspondent has reported, citing the sentence handed out by Justice Pavel Melekhin.
According to the sentence, Dzhabrail Makhmudov was sentenced to 14 years in a high-security colony, and his brother Ibragim Makhmudov, whom the jury found to deserve leniency, was sentenced to 12 years in a high-security colony.
Sergei Khadzhikurbanov was sentenced to twenty years in a high-security colony.
Lom-Ali Gaitukayev and Rustam Makhmudov, who have been sentenced to life in prison, will serve their terms in a high-security colony. Justice Pavel Melekhin found them t o pose extreme danger to society.
On May 20 the jury returned a guilty verdict in regard to five suspects named in the Politkovskaya murder case - Chechen native Lom-Ali Gaitukayev, his nephews Rustam, Dzhabrail and Ibragim the Makhmudov and former policeman Sergei Khadzhikurbanov.
They were found guilty of murder and illegal arms trafficking. Makhmudov was also found guilty of kidnapping and extortion.
On May 27 state prosecution said in the Moscow City Court it asked to sentence the defendants to 15 years to life imprisonment.
In particular, prosecution asked to sentence suspected murder organizer Gaitukayev and Makhmudov, whom jurors found guilty of murdering Politkovskaya, to life imprisonment in a maximum security colony.
Prosecution asked to sentence former Moscow police department employee Khadzhikurbanov to 22 years in prison and brothers Dzhabrail and Ibragim the Makhmudov, who were found guilty of conspiracy in the crime, to 15 and 19 years respectively.
Representatives of the affected parties lawyer Anna Stavitskaya said that court should decide on punishment and that she urged the court to show leniency to brothers the Makhmudov and sentence them to eight years six months and eight years respectively.
The affected parties in the case also filed a civil suit of 5 million rubles regarding the five defendants demanding 1 million rubles from each of them.
Novaya Gazeta reporter Anna Politkovskaya was murdered in the entrance on her Moscow building on October 7, 2006.
According to the information possessed by the investigators, the mastermind is Gaitukayev, who created the organized group comprised of the other defendants and police officer Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov in 2006. Gaitukayev supervised the group's actions until he was detained for masterminding the killing of Ukrainian businessman Gennady Korban (he was convicted for that crime and is now serving time in prison). Gaitukayev continued controlling the group's actions by phone from prison.
In Moscow, the crime was organized by Sergei Khadzhikurbanov. According to the Investigative Committee, the members of the group thoroughly planned the Politkovskaya killing, murder, purchased weapons, and coordinated their actions, and "Sergei Khadzhikurbanov supervised the group's actions.
According to information possessed by the investigators, the Makhmudov brothers received from Pavlyuchenkov information on Politkovskaya's place of residence and began trailing her on October 7, 2006. When Politkovskaya drove to her apartment building in a car, Makhmudov told his brother Dzhabrail about that, and he, in turn, told Rustam, who entered the apartment building to wait for Politkovskaya there. When the journalist entered the elevator, Makhmudov fired several shots at her, leaving the pistol at the crime scene. After that, the criminals left.
Former police officer Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov has already been convicted in this case. He made a deal with the investigators and admitted his guilt. According to information possessed by the investigators, Pavlyuchenkov followed Politkovskaya at the request of Gaitukayev, who paid him $150,000 to do that.
On March 14, 2013, the Russian Supreme Court upheld the sentenced handed out to Pavlyuchenkov, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for involvement in the organization of the Politkovskaya killing.
The investigators are now working on determining the mastermind the Politkovskaya killing. A separate criminal case has been opened against him.
