Deputy editor-in-chief of "Novaya Gazeta" tells at Politkovskaya's murder trial about witness found by paper during inquiry

At the session of the Moscow City Court (MCC), where the murder of Anna Politkovskaya is considered, Sergey Sokolov, the deputy editor-in-chief of the "Novaya Gazeta", told about the evidence presented to the newspaper by Oleg Golubovich, a witness for the prosecution, who fears to come to Russia, because of the threat to his life. The absence of the witness at the trial violates the defendants' rights, their advocates assert.

Sergey Sokolov has confirmed that the witness Oleg Golubovich contacted him in order to convey information about Anna Politkovskaya. Their meeting took place in April 2010.

He also said that after receiving information from Golubovich, the "Novaya Gazeta" found out that Anna Politkovskaya was shadowed by special agents of the OPU (the operative-search division of the Chief Department of the Russia's MIA for Moscow) until September 2006; while Golubovich, had confidently recognized the killer on the photos, who was known to him as Nayil.

"Most of all, Golubovich feared Gaitukaev, Rustam and Pavlyuchenkov. We (employees of the "Novaya Gazeta") convinced him to give official testimony to the Russian investigation in the territory of another country, where we helped him to hide, because he feared for his life," said Sokolov.

Murad Musaev, the defence lawyer, said in his comment to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that Sokolov's evidence was just a retelling of the data presented by the witness Golubovich.