Basmanny Court of Moscow extends arrest of defendant accused of Anna Politkovskaya's murder

Today, the Basmanny Court of Moscow extended the arrest of Rustam Makhmudov, accused of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, the journalist of the "Novaya Gazeta", till May 31.

Rustam Makhmudov was detained on May 31, 2011, at the house of his parents in Chechnya, and later he was filed a charge of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya.

The Court has granted the motion of investigators and extended the arrest of Rustam Makhmudov. At the trial, the investigator stated that the period of the preliminary investigation had been extended up to 68 months, i.e., till June 7, 2012, the "Interfax" reports.

"The guilt of Rustam Makhmudov is proved by the testimony of witnesses, protocols of identification, and examination findings. Period of his detention in custody will expire on March 7; however, the investigation cannot be completed, since we have to perform a sufficient number of investigatory actions," said the investigator.

In her turn, the lawyer Daria Trenina, presenting the defence of Rustam Makhmudov, asked the Court to attach to the case materials the part of one of the volumes of the case on the journalist's murder. From that part, it follows that the man, who identified the defendant, was not really sure of his testimony, although his statement was transferred from the decision to the order to extend the arrest as a reason for that, the "RAPSI" (Russian Agency of Legal and Judicial Information) reports.

Furthermore, Daria Trenina has reminded the Court that her client had been kept in custody for nine months, with the most time spent at the punishment cell. According to the characteristics of Rustam Makhmudov, issued at the SIZO (pre-trial prison), in that way he is being punished for his bad behaviour. The lawyer has explained that her client is sent to the punishment cell, since he refuses to sign a list of the duty of the ward, in accordance to which he is obliged to follow not only his own hygiene, but also the hygiene of his inmates.

"I have never kidnapped anyone, and I have never killed a person in my life," said Rustam Makhmudov himself. He believes that he became a victim of slander. "They need a fall guy, and I became such a fall guy," said Rustam Makhmudov. He also argues that he had never used forged documents, never hided from investigators and that he does not plan to.