Lawyer Says Russian General Forced To Commit Suicide

A lawyer for a former top Russian anticorruption official who died after falling from the sixth floor of the headquarters of the Investigative Committee in Moscow, says his client was forced to commit suicide.

Georgy Antonov said on June 17 that his client, General Boris Kolesnikov, the former deputy chief of the Anticorruption and Economic Crimes Directorate at Russia's Interior Ministry, must be exonerated posthumously and investigations into his reported June 16 suicide must be launched.

The chairwoman of the Moscow Helsinki Group, Lyudmila Alekseyeva, called Kolesnikov's death a "murky event" and suggested that it be investigated both by official bodies and independent experts.

Kolesnikov, his former chief, Denis Sugrobov, and several of their former subordinates were arrested after investigations were launched in February into their alleged involvement in organizing a criminal group, soliciting bribes, and exceeding their authority.

Based on reporting by Interfax and kommersant.ru