Date Set For Verdicts In Kyrgyz Journalist Murder Trial

Murdered journalist Gennady Pavlyuk's relatives insist that his killing was politically motivated.

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Verdicts are expected next week in the trial of three people accused of killing a prominent Kyrgyz journalist in Kazakhstan, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

Three men are on trial in Almaty for their suspected role in the December 2009 killing of Gennady Pavlyuk, who died after being thrown from a tall building in the city with his arms and legs bound. An aide to Judge Akhmetqali Modaghaliev, who is presiding over the trial, told RFE/RL on October 7 that the verdicts will be pronounced on October 11.

Before travelling to Almaty, Pavlyuk had met with Omurbek Tekebaev -- then a Kyrgyz opposition politician -- and discussed possible cooperation with Tekebaev's Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party.

Pavlyuk, an independent journalist, was known in Kyrgyzstan under the pseudonym Rustam Ibragimbek.

He founded the "Bely Parokhod" (White Steamer) newspaper and website. He also wrote for the newspaper "Vecherny Bishkek" (Evening Bishkek) and the Russian weekly "Argumenty i Fakty" (Arguments and Facts).

Pavlyuk's relatives and colleagues say his killing was politically motivated, while Kazakh investigators insist it was not.

Two of the three defendants, Almas Igilikov and Shalkqar Orazalin, are Kazakh citizens. The third, Aldayar Ismankulov, is a former Kyrgyz intelligence officer.

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