Figurant in Politkovskaya's case complains of tortures again

The advocate of one of the defendants in the murder case of the observer of the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper Anna Politkovskaya has lodged another complaint to the Russian General Prosecutor's Office about application of tortures to his client.

"We see real arbitrariness. They (the defendants) are brought to operative workers and scoffed there in demand of making confessions," advocate Murad Musaev who is representing the interests of Dzabrail Makhmudov has told today.

The RIA "Novosti" reports that today the Moscow Command Military Court has found the arrest of the FSB Lieutenant Colonel Pavel Ryaguzov, suspected of involvement into Anna Politkovskaya's murder, to be illegitimate.

The Court has cancelled the decision of the Moscow Garrison Military Court on issuance of the arrest sanction of Ryaguzov and sent the case to a new consideration. Mr Ryaguzov is still in custody.

Alexander Minchanovskiy, press secretary of the Court, has told earlier that the advocates filed a complaint against the decision of the Moscow Garrison Military Court that had authorized the arrest. He has noted that the freedom restriction measure was chosen for Mr Ryaguzov on another case, not related to Politkovskaya's murder.