Moscow Apartment Of Prominent Chechen Lawyer Searched

Chechen lawyer Murad Musayev in RFE/RL's studios in 2009

MOSCOW -- A prominent Chechen lawyer says his Moscow apartment has been searched in an effort by the authorities to put pressure on him.

Murad Musayev told RFE/RL on January 13 that police searched his Moscow apartment while he was in the city of Samara and confiscated his three computers.

He added that the search was conducted a day before a new jury was scheduled to be formed in a trial against five of his clients suspected of involvement in the 2006 murder of prominent Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

Russia's Investigative Committee said on January 13 that Musayev's apartment was searched in connection with a criminal case against him.

In November, the Investigative Committee announced that Musayev was officially suspected of obstructing justice and attempting to bribe witnesses in the high-profile murder case of retired Russian Army Colonel Yury Budanov.