Boris Berezovsky tells Altay journalist about murder of Anna Politkovskaya: Altay press digest

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The exclusive interview given by Boris Berezovsky to an Altay journalist: “The Russian Authorities Are Responsible for This Murder”

On October 16, the Bankfax web-site published the text of the interview of the head of the information department of Altay Pravda daily Sergey Teplyakov with Boris Berezovsky, who was actively bandied about in the Russian press last week following the charge that it was he who organized the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya:

"Whole last week I was in Moscow undergoing training at Izvestia daily. On Sunday, October 8, the breaking news was the death of Anna Politkovskaya. One of the versions said that some runaway oligarch needed the murder for destabilizing the situation in the country. “Now, you will call Berezovsky,” the head of the Izvestia news department Vladimir Demchenko told me, looking for the oligarch’s phone number in his computer. “We all have already called him, you know”…

I got through to him almost immediately. I told him who I was and what I was bothering him for. He said: “Call me in just two minutes. I am shaving now” (it was early morning in London). For two minutes we were trying to guess if he was shaving or having a shave. Then, I called him again. He picked up the phone.

- Mr. Berezovsky, how did you know about the death of Anna Politkovskaya?

- My friend called me and said she was dead. I thought I misheard him and began looking through news sites…

- Moskovsky Komsomolets gives a quotation bearing your almost official pen-name “Platon Yelenin”…

- I want to see the text.

- Let me read it to you. “Myths, slander and mud against both sides – against Politkovskaya and against those who the authorities will label as ‘her murderers.’ I have no doubts that your most humble servant will be among them. My relations with Politkovskaya were not simple, we often had conflicts, but I would like to say that the Russian society has lost one of its representatives in the elite of humanity. And we will continue losing them unless we protect them by open and mass civil protest against political terror in Russia.”

- First, it is not my statement, but I am ready to sign to almost each word in it. Second …the present Russian authorities have broken the basic principles of the Constitution. The abolition of the general gubernatorial elections violates not only the letter but the very spirit of the Constitution. Today, the whole power is concentrated in the Kremlin. The principle of power division is not observed. The Russian government has turned from democratic – squint-eyed and lame but still democratic – into authoritarian…

- What about Pinochet?

- In fact, Pinochet has shown to all dictators how they should not act. He is facing a trial now. I don’t think that any dictator – even the kindest one – would like to receive a subpoena the next day after his voluntary resignation?

- Mr. Berezovsky, one of the versions says that the murder of Politkovkaya was arranged by you and that your point is to destabilize the situation in Russia and to organize a revolution…

- Of course, I will benefit from revolution in Russia, but I can hardly destabilize the situation in the country as effectively as the Russian authorities are doing. I am taking most active steps but all of them are legal. I am doing really huge work to discredit the regime of Putin. The times when they laughed at me in Europe have gone. Now, I have no opponents there. I think that the government in Russia will be changed very soon.

- And if the new government proves to be worse?

- There will hardly be anybody worse than this government. This government is the government of rabble.

- Aren’t you afraid that the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Russia may demand your extradition as supposed organizer?

- They in the Public Prosecutor’s Office can do anything they want, but they will get nothing. Here in England people no longer believe them. They have repeatedly tried to have me extradited. Their first case was about my embezzlements in AvtoVAZ. They lost it even in Russia. And now the British authorities are skeptical of their demands. If my first extradition trial lasted for several days, the second one took the British judge just half an hour.

- Did you try to warn Politkovskaya, did you tell her to be more careful?

- I did not try to teach Anna. It’s of no use. Each person chooses his risks on his own. I went back to Russia even when the Public Prosecutor’s Office had in hand a warrant to arrest me. But later I still came back to London. I respect Khodorkovsky’s decision but I am sure that my decision is also right.

The regime has created a situation when it is profitable to kill journalists. The authorities must protect those who are the salt of the nation. In England they have only one opinion: Russia is responsible for this murder. It is ridiculous that Putin first commented on this murder in his talk with Bush. He commented to Bush but he did not comment to his people.

- Mr. Berezovsky, do you have bodyguards?

- Are you from special services? My guard is England. And this is much more secure than some special purpose group of the Russian State Intelligence Department.