Victim: defendant in Politkovskaya's case had attacked tourist agency

At the trial on Anna Politkovskaya's murder, the General Prosecutor's Office has passed over to presenting evidences on the episode, not related to the murder of the journalist.

Today, the Moscow Regional Military Court heard witness Eduard Ponikarov, the "Novaya Gazeta" reports. Former FSB agent Pavel Ryaguzov and Sergey Hadjikurbanov have been attracted as defendants on this episode. The latter is also a figurant in Politkovskaya's murder case.

In his evidence, the witness and the victim said that in summer 2002 four persons rushed into the tourist company, where he then worked as manager, and began beating him. He has emphasized that they gave no reasons. From their words he understood "that they were looking for some passports." Ponikarov has emphasized that he was mainly beaten by Hadjikurbanov, while Ryaguzov did not participate.

The Radio Liberty reports that during the court session, Murad Musaev, advocate of one of the defendants in Politkovskaya's murder case, has again reported that after the trial session Makhmudov brothers are not brought to the investigatory isolation facility, but carried over Moscow till 2:00 a.m. As a result of this, according to the defender, on the following day the defendants are unable to work properly in the courtroom.