Defendants in Politkovskaya's murder case insist on trial by jury

The defence of the suspects accused of murdering the journalist Anna Politkovskaya insists on a jury trial, hoping for "a fair consideration of the case," said Alexei Mikhalchik, an advocate of one of the defendants.

The investigation believes that the murder of Politkovskaya was organized by Lom-Ali Gaitukaev, who in 2006 created an organized grouping, which included the other defendants, as well as the police officer Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, who had been earlier sentenced to 11 years in a high security colony for the murder of Anna Politkovskaya; this case was isolated into separate proceeding.

On April 18, the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) sent a criminal case against five defendants to the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) for approval of the indictment and transfer to the court.

Meanwhile, the defence insists on a jury trial. According to Alexei Mikhalchik, the advocate of Sergey Khadjikurbanov (a former employee UBOP GU (unit to combat organized crime) of the MIA of Russia, accused of murdering Anna Politkovskaya - note of the "Caucasian Knot"), his client refuses to admit his guilt and asks for a jury trial, the "Echo Moskvy" reported on April 18.

"We believe that the jury will be able to objectively and impartially consider the case and pass an acquittal," the RAPSI quotes Mikhalchik on April 18.

In his turn, Karen Nersesyan, the advocate of the convicted Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, argues that recently his client, who suffers from epilepsy, felt bad again. According to his story, Pavlyuchenkov was examined at the prison medical unit, where doctors recommended transferring him to a specialized clinic for a more thorough examination, the "Kommersant" writes.