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accused Litvinenko killer to run for parliament; molehills and mountains
Topic Started: Sep 17 2007, 05:10 PM (61 Views)
Dominic Guglieme
the human MICROscope!!



alleged killer of Litvinenko to run for Russian Parliament


Andrei Lugovoi is in the running for a seat in Russia's Parliament.

Lugovoi also happens to the chief suspect in the murder of Russian expat (and toublesome gadfly) Alexander Litvinenko. For those who do not recall, Litvinenko died a messy death in late '06 after ingesting polonium 210. Most people agree that Litvenenko was murdered. Most of them think the Kremlin ordered the hit.

And, British investigators think that it was Andrei Lugovoi who gone and done the deed. London wants him extradited from Russia. Moscow is not hearing of it. They have offered to allow British authorities to being charges against Lugovoi in a Russian court, but he is not to be taken out of Russia. If Lugovoi does win a seat in parliament, (and most Kremlin watchers are assuming he is "in like Flynn"), he will gain statutory immunity from prosecution, likely costing Britain even the option to bring charges in Russia.

I am really of two minds on this whole thing. The whole mess has been escalating for nearly a year now. Relations between the west and Russia have been needlessly, though not permanently, damaged. (Granted, much of this damage has been done by all parties, including the US on unrelated issues. But, much of it could have been avoided if those in a position to had acted more reasonably.)

Russia is taking a prudent step in moving to install Lugovoi in parliament. Britain does have to make at least a pro-forma investigation. (Litvinenko was technically a British citizen after all.) Moscow snubs London. London will snub Moscow. And, like a game of diplomatic ping-pong, it goes back and forth and back again. Oh, and for all the posturing and puffing, real problems are ignored.

Both countries should have handled this better from the start. If the UK wanted to shelter Litvinenko as a useful expat, that is their right. But, they had a practical means to muzzle him. Given the nature of the accusations he was making about Moscow, the Kremlin had to react. (And, in real terms, Litvinenko was hiding behind his newfound British residency and citizenship, using it as a way to "safely" flip Moscow a rhetorical bird.) Moscow should have asked London (thought back channels) if they could grab or whack Litvinenko-before they actually did so. London could have either taken Litvinenko aside and muzzled him, or otherwise arrived at some compromise with Moscow.

London also could have done better about not making a big maudlin deal about what happened. Polonium 210 is not overly dangerous unless one eats it. There was little enough hazard to public safety. And, while Litvinenko was a citizen of England on paper, thus obliging London to investigate his murder, the practical matter that Litvinenko provoked Moscow should not have been forgotten.

Now, Moscow is taking public steps that are, in all honesty, gratuitous. London has refused, and likely would have continued to refuse, Moscow's offer to try Lugovoi in Russia. Even so, most people would probably assume (likely not without justification) that Lugovoi would be unlikely to be conviced in a Russian court. In other words, the immunity Lugovoi will soon enjoy would be needless even if London brought charges.

In theory, Lugovoi will still be bound to Tussia's soil. The minute he goes out of Russia and to any country with an extradition treaty (and friendly ties) to England, he runs the risk of being arrested and eventually charged in a British court. In other words, Russia may just wind up with a parliament member who cannot leave the country. (No G8 summits for Lugovoi.)

Until Moscow or London grow up a bit, we can look forward to more puffing and petulance from those who should know (both from history and maturity) better.



Keep it local.


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