This is unrelated to my previous blog entry except that they both deal with things or people that are “barbaric”.
Updated: 12:23, Friday November 24, 2006
A former Russian spy who was mysteriously poisoned has attacked President Vladmir Putin in a statement made on his deathbed.
Alexander Litvinenko said the “person responsible” for his demise has “shown yourself to be as barbaric and ruthless as your most hostile critics have claimed”.
The 43-year-old, who died in a London hospital last night, said: “You have shown yourself to be unworthy of your office, of the trust of civilised men and women.”
The dying defector had been a critic of the Russian regime and blamed it for his mysterious demise.
Addressing the Russian President directly, he said: “You may succeed in silencing one man, but the howl of protest from around the world will reverberate, Mr Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life.
“May God forgive you for what you have done, not only to me, but to beloved Russia and its people.”
In a moving statement, Mr Litvinenko said: “My love for her (his wife) and my son knows no bounds.
“As I lie here, I can hear the beats of wings of the angel of death. I may be able to give him the slip, but I have to say, my legs do not run as fast as I would like.”
Mr Litvinenko’s tearful father Walter added: “This (Russian) regime is a mortal danger to the world.”
The ex-spy fell ill after meeting a contact, an Italian journalist, in a sushi restaurant in central London.
It is still not clear what type of substance was used. Thallium had been suggested, but this now appears to have been ruled out.
Alexander Litvinenko had been given asylum and citizenship in Britain after fleeing Russia.
His supporters have said he was killed by Russian agents because he was investigating the murder of dissident investigative Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot dead near her Moscow apartment.
The Kremlin has called the accusation “sheer nonsense”.
The Metropolitan Police have now launched an investigation into “an unexplained death”.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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