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| Britain to Hold Inquiry Into Poisoning of Ex-K.G.B. Officer | Britain to Hold Inquiry Into Poisoning of Ex-K.G.B. Officer |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| LONDON — Almost eight years after Alexander V. Litvinenko, a former K.G.B. officer turned whistle-blower, was poisoned in London with a radioactive isotope, the British authorities announced on Tuesday that a public inquiry would be held into his death, permitting investigators to explore whether Russian leaders had ordered the killing. | |
| At a time when President Vladimir V. Putin faces mounting Western opprobrium for his support of pro-Russia separatists accused of shooting down a Malaysia Airlines jetliner over eastern Ukraine, the announcement from Theresa May, the British home secretary, could be seen by Moscow as a further rebuke. | At a time when President Vladimir V. Putin faces mounting Western opprobrium for his support of pro-Russia separatists accused of shooting down a Malaysia Airlines jetliner over eastern Ukraine, the announcement from Theresa May, the British home secretary, could be seen by Moscow as a further rebuke. |
| “It is more than seven years since Mr. Litvinenko’s death, and I very much hope that this inquiry will be of some comfort to his widow,” Ms. May said in a written statement to Parliament. | “It is more than seven years since Mr. Litvinenko’s death, and I very much hope that this inquiry will be of some comfort to his widow,” Ms. May said in a written statement to Parliament. |
| The announcement reflected a remarkable about-face by the government of Prime Minister David Cameron, which, seeking improved relations with Moscow, long resisted demands by Mr. Litvinenko’s supporters for scrutiny of any role in his death by the Russian state or the British intelligence services. With Mr. Cameron calling for sanctions against Russia over the crisis in Ukraine, the ground now seems to have shifted, although British officials described the timing of Tuesday’s announcement as a coincidence. | The announcement reflected a remarkable about-face by the government of Prime Minister David Cameron, which, seeking improved relations with Moscow, long resisted demands by Mr. Litvinenko’s supporters for scrutiny of any role in his death by the Russian state or the British intelligence services. With Mr. Cameron calling for sanctions against Russia over the crisis in Ukraine, the ground now seems to have shifted, although British officials described the timing of Tuesday’s announcement as a coincidence. |
| “I am relieved and delighted with this decision,” Marina Litvinenko, Mr. Litvinenko’s widow, said in a statement. Using her husband’s nickname, she added, “It sends a message to Sasha’s murderers: No matter how strong and powerful you are, truth will win out in the end, and you will be held accountable for your crimes.” | “I am relieved and delighted with this decision,” Marina Litvinenko, Mr. Litvinenko’s widow, said in a statement. Using her husband’s nickname, she added, “It sends a message to Sasha’s murderers: No matter how strong and powerful you are, truth will win out in the end, and you will be held accountable for your crimes.” |
| Mr. Litvinenko became a bitter foe of Mr. Putin in 1998 when the Russian leader, a former K.G.B. officer, refused to investigate Mr. Litvinenko’s allegations of corruption and malfeasance in the ranks of the F.S.B., the domestic successor to the K.G.B. At the time, Mr. Putin was the newly appointed head of the F.S.B. | Mr. Litvinenko became a bitter foe of Mr. Putin in 1998 when the Russian leader, a former K.G.B. officer, refused to investigate Mr. Litvinenko’s allegations of corruption and malfeasance in the ranks of the F.S.B., the domestic successor to the K.G.B. At the time, Mr. Putin was the newly appointed head of the F.S.B. |
| Mr. Litvinenko, 43, who fled to Britain with his family in 2000, died an excruciating death in November 2006 after drinking tea from a pot laced with polonium 210 at a hotel in central London. The British authorities are seeking the extradition of Andrei K. Lugovoi, another former K.G.B. officer, to face murder charges. | Mr. Litvinenko, 43, who fled to Britain with his family in 2000, died an excruciating death in November 2006 after drinking tea from a pot laced with polonium 210 at a hotel in central London. The British authorities are seeking the extradition of Andrei K. Lugovoi, another former K.G.B. officer, to face murder charges. |
| Russia has refused to hand over Mr. Lugovoi, saying its Constitution does not permit the extradition of its citizens. Mr. Lugovoi, who is now a member of the Russian Parliament, has denied the charges. In a deathbed statement, Mr. Litvinenko said he blamed Mr. Putin for his poisoning, but Mr. Putin has dismissed the accusation. | Russia has refused to hand over Mr. Lugovoi, saying its Constitution does not permit the extradition of its citizens. Mr. Lugovoi, who is now a member of the Russian Parliament, has denied the charges. In a deathbed statement, Mr. Litvinenko said he blamed Mr. Putin for his poisoning, but Mr. Putin has dismissed the accusation. |
| Plans to hold an inquest led by a senior judge, Sir Robert Owen, were dropped after the British Foreign Office invoked national security interests to prevent the inquest from even considering whether Moscow had played a part in the killing or whether British intelligence could have prevented it. The judge said last year that the restrictions made it impossible to hold a “fair and fearless” inquest, and he urged the establishment of a public inquiry that would be empowered to hold closed-door sessions about possible involvement by the Kremlin or MI6, the British overseas intelligence agency. Ms. Litvinenko has said her husband was a paid agent of MI6 at the time he was killed. | Plans to hold an inquest led by a senior judge, Sir Robert Owen, were dropped after the British Foreign Office invoked national security interests to prevent the inquest from even considering whether Moscow had played a part in the killing or whether British intelligence could have prevented it. The judge said last year that the restrictions made it impossible to hold a “fair and fearless” inquest, and he urged the establishment of a public inquiry that would be empowered to hold closed-door sessions about possible involvement by the Kremlin or MI6, the British overseas intelligence agency. Ms. Litvinenko has said her husband was a paid agent of MI6 at the time he was killed. |
| Earlier in the long legal process that led to Tuesday’s announcement, court filings indicated that Sir Robert believed that the British government possessed documents that “establish a prima facie case as to the culpability of the Russian state in the death of Alexander Litvinenko.” | Earlier in the long legal process that led to Tuesday’s announcement, court filings indicated that Sir Robert believed that the British government possessed documents that “establish a prima facie case as to the culpability of the Russian state in the death of Alexander Litvinenko.” |
| Mr. Litvinenko was a close associate of a former oligarch, Boris A. Berezovsky, a critic of the Kremlin who was found dead last year at a luxury home outside London. A coroner could not establish whether his death was a suicide or a homicide. | Mr. Litvinenko was a close associate of a former oligarch, Boris A. Berezovsky, a critic of the Kremlin who was found dead last year at a luxury home outside London. A coroner could not establish whether his death was a suicide or a homicide. |