Europe - Saturday, March 29, 2008 11:15 - 0 Comments

Alexander Litvinenko: a wife’s plea

Written By: Marina Litvinenko

I have asked my lawyers to petition HM Coroner to hold a full inquest into the murder of my husband, Alexander Litvinenko. Only a review of the evidence in an open, independent court in Britain will get to the truth about who poisoned his tea with radioactive polonium-210 on November 1, 2006, as well as how and why.

I do this against the wishes of the Scotland Yard and David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, who both told me that making the evidence public would prejudice a criminal trial of the chief suspect, Andrei Lugovoy, whom the UK is trying to extradite from Russia. But after waiting for 15 months I have come to the conclusion that Mr Lugovoy, a former KGB agent, will never be extradited. So I respectfully reject their argument. I cannot wait for another ten years for a slim chance that their approach would bear fruit.

I should emphasis that I hold no grudge against the police or the British Government; I am eternally grateful to them for identifying and naming the suspect, and then slapping Russia with an extradition request, which, even though it has not been successful, has squarely put the blame for Alexander’s death at the Kremlin’s door. However, this is not good enough for me. If I cannot get justice, then at least I need the full truth. Continue…