MOSCOW -- The widow of former Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) agent Aleksandr Litvinenko says she still hopes the suspects in his killing will be tried in London, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
Russian activists gathered in Moscow today to mark the third anniversary of Litvinenko's death.
At the same time, Marina Litvinenko, 47, told RFE/RL that the murder of her husband -- who was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 in London on November 23, 2006 -- remains unsolved, and that Russian officials should extradite Russian Duma Deputy Andrei Lugovoi to Britain for questioning.
British investigators consider Lugovoi a prime suspect in the case but Moscow refuses to send him to London, claiming it would violate the Russian Constitution.
Julie Seddon, a spokeswoman for Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), told RFE/RL that if Lugovoi were extradited to Britain, there would be enough evidence to try him on murder charges.
Seddon said that since Litvinenko -- a British citizen -- was murdered in Britain, any suspect should face trial there.
Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the Russian Prosecutor-General's Investigation Committee, told RFE/RL that Russia has sent documents to London asking authorities to define Litvinenko's widow as a victim, but she has refused.
Marina Litvinenko told RFE/RL she has not had any direct contact either with Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office or with Russian investigators.
"Whether and when the case goes to court depends not only on the investigation that took place and is still taking place in Britain,” Litvinenko said.
“One of the suspects, Andrei Lugovoi, is in Russia now, and Russia is not going to extradite him. On the contrary, Russian investigators are saying that they are conducting their own investigation and they have suggested that the trial could be held in Russia if they found evidence against Lugovoi; something that, of course, has been rejected by [British] Foreign Secretary David Miliband and is prohibited under British law," she said.
Russian activists gathered in Moscow today to mark the third anniversary of Litvinenko's death.
At the same time, Marina Litvinenko, 47, told RFE/RL that the murder of her husband -- who was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 in London on November 23, 2006 -- remains unsolved, and that Russian officials should extradite Russian Duma Deputy Andrei Lugovoi to Britain for questioning.
British investigators consider Lugovoi a prime suspect in the case but Moscow refuses to send him to London, claiming it would violate the Russian Constitution.
Julie Seddon, a spokeswoman for Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), told RFE/RL that if Lugovoi were extradited to Britain, there would be enough evidence to try him on murder charges.
Seddon said that since Litvinenko -- a British citizen -- was murdered in Britain, any suspect should face trial there.
Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the Russian Prosecutor-General's Investigation Committee, told RFE/RL that Russia has sent documents to London asking authorities to define Litvinenko's widow as a victim, but she has refused.
Marina Litvinenko told RFE/RL she has not had any direct contact either with Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office or with Russian investigators.
"Whether and when the case goes to court depends not only on the investigation that took place and is still taking place in Britain,” Litvinenko said.
“One of the suspects, Andrei Lugovoi, is in Russia now, and Russia is not going to extradite him. On the contrary, Russian investigators are saying that they are conducting their own investigation and they have suggested that the trial could be held in Russia if they found evidence against Lugovoi; something that, of course, has been rejected by [British] Foreign Secretary David Miliband and is prohibited under British law," she said.
