Marina Litvinenko: Cameron struck deal with Putin

In the Guardian, Luke Harding discusses Marina Litvinenko's reaction to David Cameron's decision to meet Vladimir Putin in Downing Street on Sunday, in the run-up to next week's G8 summit. She says it is morally wrong to "appease dictators":

Marina Litvinenko said she was convinced London and Moscow had struck a pragmatic understanding to bury the Litvinenko affair. She said: "How can you have serious talks about security in Syria with a person who doesn't want you to provide justice following a polonium terror attack in central London? It was obviously Mr Putin himself who protected Lugovoi from extradition. I believe it is Putin who also decided that Lugovoi should become a Russian MP."

From Harding's report it also emerges that the North Caucasus human rights lawyer Olga Chelysheva has been denied entry to the U.K.

Litvinenko: Coroner's Request for a Public Inquiry

Press release: 

Coroner's Inquest into the death of Alexander Litvinenko

5 June 2013

CORONER'S REQUEST FOR A PUBLIC INQUIRY

Her Majesty's Assistant Deputy Coroner for Inner North London, Sir Robert Owen, has written to the Secretary of State for Justice, the Right Honourable Christopher Grayling MP, requesting that a decision be made to order a Public Inquiry under section 1 (1) of the Inquiries Act 2005 to look into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Litvinenko.

The letter follows on from Sir Robert's Public Interest Immunity (PII) ruling of 17 May 2013 in which he sought submissions from the Interested Persons relating to the setting up of a Public Inquiry. The Coroner received submissions which have been posted on the Inquest's website. [http://www.litvinenkoinquest.org/ ]

The next hearing will be held as planned on Tuesday 11 June when Sir Robert currently intends to hear three applications for anonymity.

Chronology

• 7 February 2013 – The Public Interest Immunity (PII) application was made to the Coroner by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

• 26 February 2013 – an inter partes public hearing which took argument from Interested Persons and from the press.

• 27 February 2013 – the Coroner's Oral Ruling.

• 17 May – The Coroner releases his final Open Ruling. Parties have been given 14 days to challenge the ruling.

• 4 June – The Coroner writes to the Secretary of State for Justice requesting the setting up of a Public Inquiry.
ENDS

For further information journalists should contact the Inquest's communications manager, Mike Wicksteed.
Email: pressoffice@...
Website: http://litvinenkoinquest.org
Tel: 07557-491634.