Posted on 02/26/2013 4:33:57 PM PST by nickcarraway
The British government sought on Tuesday to limit the information it would disclose at a planned inquest into the death of Alexander V. Litvinenko, a former officer in the K.G.B. who succumbed to radiation poisoning in London more than six years ago. The coroner hearing the case said that it may now be postponed.
“Due to the complexity of the investigation which necessarily precedes the hearings,” the coroner, Sir Robert Owen, said, “it may not be possible to adhere” to the planned May 1 start date for the hearings.
The inquest would be the first — and probably the only — public forum where witnesses would testify under oath about the killing, which strained Britain’s relationship with the Kremlin and kindled memories of the cold war.
The prospect of a postponement brought accusations from Ben Emmerson, a lawyer representing Mr. Litvinenko’s widow, Marina Litvinenko, that the British government was trying to gag the inquiry to protect lucrative trade deals with Russia.
Referring to Prime Minister David Cameron, Mr. Emmerson said on Tuesday that “the British government, like the Russian government, is conspiring to get this inquest closed down in exchange for substantial trade interests, which we know Mr. Cameron is pursuing.”
The British government, he said, had “no right to say to an independent judiciary, ‘you may not investigate these issues’ — that happens in Russia, for sure.” He added: “This has all the hallmarks of a situation which is shaping up to be a stain on British justice.”
Sir Robert, the coroner, said he would rule on Wednesday on the government’s application for what is known as a Public Interest Immunity Certificate, which would block the inquest from hearing information on certain topics, usually on national security grounds. Sir Robert did not reveal the particulars of the government’s request.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Egyptian Ayman al Zawahiri is, now that Osama bin Laden has been taken out of the way, the number one al Qaeda leader that Obama has yet to show any interest in takeing out. Ayman al Zawahiri's brother is a commmunity organizer in Egypt today and was one of the protest leaders in the recent Cairo embassy storming on the same day as the Benghazi attack.
ping
A few months before the Nov 2006 assassination:
SEPTEMBER 15, 2006 : () “Russia’s parliament on Friday ratified a global treaty aimed to prevent nuclear terrorism, a year after President Vladimir Putin became the first leader to sign the pact. ‘Ratification of this document answers to the interests of Russia and the entire international community,’ Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.” -————Russia signs [sic; ratifies] treaty to prevent nuclear terrorism (The Jerusalem Post, 15Sep06, AP)http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1157913634576&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
AUGUST 6, 2006 : (REPORT : SLEEPER CELLS LINKED TO IRAN HAVE BEEN SCOUTING NUCLEAR SITES IN THE UK) It has also emerged that terror cells backed by Iran may be prepared to mount attacks against nuclear power plants in Britain. Intelligence circulating in Whitehall suggests that sleeper cells linked to Tehran have been conducting reconnaissance at some nuclear sites in preparation for a possible attack. The parliamentary intelligence and security committee has reported that Iran represented one of the three biggest security threats to Britain. ——— “Iran’s plot to mine uranium in Africa,” by Jon Swain, David Leppard and Brian Johnson-Thomas, The Sunday Times (U.K.) ^ | 08/06/06 |
OCTOBER 2006 : (NK : NUCLEAR TEST) Is it really possible that NK’s nuclear test in Oct. 2006 set off a miniature nuclear device? It has a rather disturbing implication. 1 posted on Sunday, June 15, 2008 1:20:45 AM by TigerLikesRooster
NOVEMBER 13, 2006 : () British intelligence officials believe that al-Qaida is determined to attack the UK with a nuclear weapon, it emerged yesterday [Nov 13]. ...————Al-Qaida plotting nuclear attack on UK, officials warn
The Guardian ^ | November 14, 2006 | Vikram Dodd
Thanks for updating this thread, Piasa.
I don’t find this case complicated. In fact, I think Britain should be public about every aspect of this case. Maybe shining a light on this incident(s) might make the world a safer place.
As a Brit, I agree.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.