MOSCOW. March 14 (Interfax) - Former employee of the Moscow Internal Affairs department, Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, convicted for organizing the murder of Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya will not appear in court for a hearing of a cassation appeal.
"He has just had another seizure, so he won't be able to participate in the hearing. We've informed the Supreme Court," Pavlyuchenkov's lawyer Karen Nersesyan told Interfax.
The lawyer said that Pavlyuchenkov feared for his life because he had cooperated with law enforcement on Politkovskaya's murder and a number of other criminal cases. "During the investigation measures to ensure his safety has been taken, when he has been transferred to home arrest, but it is impossible to ensure his safety in detention facilities, they house different people, it's a different world. The authorities could possibly be able to control the situation during the day, but not likely in the evening or at night," the lawyer said.
The attorney said that Pavlyuchenkov had written to the authorities of the detention facility where he was being kept about his fears and "they even talked to him on the issue."