Russian journalist Shchekochikhin's colleagues still view his 2003 death as murder
MOSCOW. April 9 (Interfax) - Colleagues of Yury Shchekochikhin, a Novaya Gazeta observer, and his associates from the Yabloko party are still inclined to believe that his death in 2003 was a thoroughly camouflaged murder, despite the fact that the prosecution agencies announced the closure of a criminal investigation into his death on Thursday because of a lack of evidence.
"We will not agree with this decision, which sounds very unconvincing, and will be seeking the resumption of the investigation and punishment of those responsible. We will try to find convincing evidence and proof that a crime had taken place," Sergei Mitrokhin, the leader of the Yabloko party whose member Shchekochikhin was, told Interfax on Thursday.
The Investigative Committee within the Russian prosecution system said in a statement earlier on Thursday that, "According to expert analysis findings, the cause of Yury Shchekochikhin's death was an acute toxic epidermal necrolysis (Lyell's syndrome), and Shekochikhin's death was prompted by the worsening of the illness."
"Thus, no signs of poisoning or bodily injuries signaling Shchekochikhin's violent death have been found," it said.
Mitrokhin insisted that "It is quite obvious that Shchekochikhin died from poisoning." He referred to findings of an analysis carried out by British experts in London.
Novaya Gazeta Editorial Director Sergei Sokolov said in commenting on the Investigative Committee decision that, "If these analyses had been made immediately after his death, the findings would have been absolutely different."
"The illness had been caused by an unknown agent, and it is still unclear what it was," he said.
"If everything was that simple earlier, why didn't his relatives receive the documents right after his death?" Sokolov said.
On the other hand, he admitted that, before announcing the closure of the investigation, Investigative Committee workers had done a lot of work.
"There are a lot of indirect signs (of poisoning), but they are not enough to make undeniable legal conclusions. Therefore, all we can do in this situation is hope that everything will finally come to light and those responsible will be punished," Sokolov said.
State Duma deputy Shchekochikhin, who came into prominence as an investigative reporter in the 1980s-1990s, felt unwell on June 16, 2003 and was taken to the Central Clinical Hospital in critical condition on June 21. He died in the emergency room of the Central Clinical Hospital on July 3, 2003. Preliminary findings identified the cause of death as an allergy syndrome.
Before his death, Shchekochikhin specialized on the release of captives in Chechnya and the condition of the Russian armed forces and civilian population in that republic.
The Novaya Gazeta editorial office insisted on thoroughly investigating Shchekochikhin's death from the very start. Many of his colleagues suggested that his death might have been related to his job.
- Back to the Top -