A Moscow district court has acquitted the former prison medical officer who was charged in connection with the 2009 death of whistle-blowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, four days after prosecutors effectively abandoned the case.
Dmitry Kratov was the only person tried in connection with Magnitsky's death.
The court's December 28 ruling cited Prosecutor Dmitry Bokov's summation, which said that there was no evidence that Kratov committed a crime or that a lack of medical care contributed to Magnitsky's death.
The lawyer suffered from hepatitis, diabetes, and a heart condition.
Magnitsky's family and supporters have denounced the trial as a sham, according to a press release by his former employer, investment advisory firm Hermitage.
In 2011, Russia's presidential human rights council concluded that Magnitsky was beaten and denied medical care while in custody.
Magnitsky's former colleagues allege he was the victim of retribution by authorities he had accused of stealing $230 million through fraudulent tax refunds.
Dmitry Kratov was the only person tried in connection with Magnitsky's death.
The court's December 28 ruling cited Prosecutor Dmitry Bokov's summation, which said that there was no evidence that Kratov committed a crime or that a lack of medical care contributed to Magnitsky's death.
The lawyer suffered from hepatitis, diabetes, and a heart condition.
Magnitsky's family and supporters have denounced the trial as a sham, according to a press release by his former employer, investment advisory firm Hermitage.
In 2011, Russia's presidential human rights council concluded that Magnitsky was beaten and denied medical care while in custody.
Magnitsky's former colleagues allege he was the victim of retribution by authorities he had accused of stealing $230 million through fraudulent tax refunds.
