Gaitukaev's funeral in Chechnya attended by about a thousand

Lom-Ali Gaitukaev, who was convicted for the murder of Anna Politkovskaya and died in a Vologda colony, was buried into the cemetery of Achkhoy-Martan village, his relatives have reported. In Achkhoy-Martan, they do not believe that Gaitukaev was the organizer of Politkovskaya's murder, said a local woman.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that earlier Gaitukaev's relatives decided to bury him, in accordance with Chechen customs, into the kin cemetery.

The Vologda Branch of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (known as FSIN) said that a long illness had caused Gaitukaev's death.

A female villager named Taisa noted that Achkhoy-Martan residents "know the Gaitukaev family very well." According to her story, "what happened with Lom-Ali Gaitukaev had shocked many of us."

The woman is sure that the members of Gaitukaev family "are not at all stained with blood."

"Such things immediately become known here, especially since everyone knew how much good Politkovskaya did for our people, together with Natalia Estemirova. Only scoundrels could raise their hand against them. It's a shame that these people were imprisoned, while the real criminal is at large," said Taisa.

In their turn, Gaitukaev's relatives said that about a thousand people came to his funeral.

In 1993, Lom-Ali Gaitukaev was sentenced to seven years for a fraud with the use of the so-called "Chechen avisos" – forged payment documents. After his release, he organized a public movement named "Novoe Vremya" (New Time).

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.