Britain must reconsider holding Litvinenko inquiry-court
Source: Reuters
(Reuters) - The London High Court has quashed the British government's decision not to hold a public inquiry into the murder of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, who died in London in 2006 after being poisoned with a radioactive substance.
Tuesday's judgment means the government will have to reconsider the decision, a diplomatically sensitive one as a public inquiry could delve into the issue of whether Russia was involved in the killing. Moscow denies any hand in it.
Litvinenko, 43, died after drinking tea poisoned with a rare radioactive isotope, polonium-210, in a plush hotel. From his deathbed he accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering his murder, a charge the Kremlin has rejected.
The High Court stopped short of calling for a public inquiry, but said that Home Secretary Theresa May, the interior minister who refused to order such an investigation, would have to revisit the issue.
Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/11/uk-britain-litvinenko-idUKBREA1A15220140211
A public inquiry could also delve into the matter of him spying for the UK.
