DNA samples from place of Anna Politkovskaya's murder do not belong to defendants, forensic experts conclude

According to the experts' conclusion, the DNA samples, found on the pistol and on the place of the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, do not match the DNA samples of the defendants. Today, the conclusions of the conducted examination were announced today at the trial at the Moscow City Court by Prosecutor Boris Loktionov.

The experts compared the samples of blood, sweat and saliva found on the pistol, from which Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead, and the cigarette butts from the place of the crime, with the DNA samples of defendants Sergey Khadjikurbanov, Djabrail, Ibragim and Rustam Makhmudov, and with the DNA samples of several other persons, who were the figurants in the criminal case.

Moreover, the defendants have nothing in common with the hair found on the return spring of the pistol from which Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead. On some cigarette butts, a DNA sample belonging to a woman was found, the "RAPSI" (Russian Agency of Legal and Judicial Information) reports.

The fingerprinting analysis has proved that the trace of a palm left at the place of the crime also does not belong to the Makhmudov brothers and Sergey Khadjikurbanov.

The victims Ilya Politkovsky and Vera Politkovskaya, the children of the murdered journalist again did not come to the court hearing held on July 31. Their representatives Karina Moskalenko and Anna Stavitskaya also did not attend the court hearing, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

The defence of the defendants and all the defendants completely agreed that the trial could not be started without the victims and that their request for disqualification of the Judge was justified. Following the discussion, Judge Pavel Melekhin dismissed the motion for his disqualification.