Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, a former Russian policeman sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the 2006 killing of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, has been pardoned by Vladimir Putin after the latter joined Russian forces in Ukraine, his lawyer told foreign media .
"From his relatives, I just learned that since the beginning of the special military operation he was offered a contract to participate in the Russian war against Ukraine. He did it, and when the contract ended he was forgiven by presidential decree," said lawyer Alexei Mikhalchik.
According to the lawyer, his client was expected to continue serving his sentence until 2030, but was offered a plea deal in exchange for a pardon because of his previous experience in a Russian special forces unit.
A world-renowned investigative journalist and expert on crimes committed by the authorities in Chechnya, Anna Politkovskaya was shot and killed in the building where she lived on Vladimir Putin's birthday on October 7, 2006.
Those who ordered the crime have never been identified, although many opponents of the Kremlin and the regime in Chechnya consider Ramzan Kadyrov the prime suspect.
Lom-Ali Gaitukagev, who organized the murder, died of asphyxiation in 2017. His nephew Rustam Makhmudov was found guilty as the man who shot the journalist and is serving a life sentence. (A2 Televizion)
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