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LONDON (AP) – The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday upheld the conclusion of a British investigation that found Russia responsible for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, who died in London in 2006 after drinking tea containing the substance radioactive.
A former KGB agent and the post-Soviet successor agency FSB, Litvinenko left Russia in 2000 and fled to London. While in Britain, Litvinenko became involved in exposing corruption and links to organized crime within Russian intelligence services.
He fell violently ill on November 1, 2006, after drinking tea with two Russian men in a hotel in London, and spent three weeks in hospital before dying. It was discovered that his tea was mixed with radioactive polonium-210.
The British investigation concluded in early 2016 that Russian agents Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun had killed Litvinenko, and that President Vladimir Putin had “probably approved” the operation.
Litvinenko’s widow Marina took the case to the Strasbourg court.
The European Court supported the British finding in its verdict on Tuesday, but dismissed Marina Litvinenko’s claim for “punitive” damages.
“The Court concluded in particular that there was strong prima facie evidence that, in poisoning Mr. Litvinenko, Mr. Lugovoi and Mr. Kovtun had acted as agents of the Russian state,” he said. he declares.
He also noted that the Russian government had “failed to provide any other satisfactory and convincing explanation of the events or contradict the findings of the British investigation.”
Lugovoi and Kovtun deny any involvement in the murder.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that the decision was unfounded.
“We are not ready to accept such decisions,” he said.
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