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| Alexander Litvinenko, an outspoken opponent of Vladimir Putin, pictured above, was allegedly poisoned in 2006. His case goes to British court this week. Image: Frederic Legrand - COMEO / Shutterstock.com |
The case of Alexander V. Litvinenko may read like a fictional spy
thriller, but this Tuesday, it will potentially develop some real-life legal
consequences.
Litvinenko, a former officer of the Soviet KGB and vocal
critic of President Vladimir V. Putin, was poisoned on November 1, 2006 and
died twenty-two days later. Not long
after his death, British scientists confirmed that the tea he drank was laced
with Polonium 210, a rare isotope manufactured mostly in Russia.
From his deathbed, Litvinenko blamed Putin for ordering the
poisoning, an accusation Putin has denied.
On Tuesday, a British court will finally begin hearings on the case.
Even now, the case remains problematic. Because British officials have argued that
disclosure of some of the testimonies may be a national security risk, much of
the case will be addressed in secret, including parts of the judge's final
report.
Litvinenko's widow has been fighting ever since his death to
bring the case to court, relying primarily on pro bono legal aid. She has met opposition as the change of British
government in 2010 led to efforts to reestablish positive ties with Putin and
tried to push the Litvinenko affair under the rug.
“We had the Litvinenko
affair; we imposed the sanctions,” said Anthony
Brenton, Britain’s ambassador to Moscow from 2004 to 2008. “The Russians
didn’t crumble. Time rolled on, and we have serious other interests in Russia.”
The case has only
grown more complex over time. Days
before the start of the inquiry, The
Daily Telegraph unearthed an audiotape they say was recorded one year
before Litvinenko's death. The tape
connects Putin and a Ukranian crime boss in hiding who is suspected of selling
arms to Al Qaeda.
Due to
constitutional constraints, Russia has refused to extradite Andrei K. Legovoi
to Britain to be questioned about murder charges. Lugovoi and another Russian citizen, Dmitri
V. Kovtun, were both present at the Pine Bar in the Millennium Hotel in London
when Litvinenko was poisoned, and so are wanted for questioning. However, they are not only refusing to
appear, but have tried to delay the proceedings by providing 1300 pages of
documents to bolster their accusation that Litvinenko was actually trying to
poison them.
While details of
the proceedings are likely to remain somewhat in the shadows, the hearings are
the first step toward finding out the truth of what happened and determining
how the Russian and British governments will interact in the future.
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