TWO CHECHEN MEN ACCUSED OF THE 2004 ASSASSINATION OF US JOURNALIST PAUL KLEBNIKOV, THE EDITOR OF THE RUSSIAN EDITION OF FORBES MAGAZINE, WERE ACQUITTED IN A MOSCOW COURT FRIDAY, DPA REPORTED. THE DEFENDANTS, MUSA VAKHAYEV AND KAZBEK DUKUZOV, BOTH ETHNIC CHECHENS, WERE ACCUSED OF GUNNING DOWN KLEBNIKOV, A US CITIZEN OF RUSSIAN EXTRACTION, NEAR HIS OFFICE IN NORTH-CENTRAL MOSCOW ON JULY 9, 2004. THE TWO MEN WERE DETAINED IN MINSK, THE CAPITAL OF BELARUS, IN LATE 2004 AND EXTRADITED TO RUSSIA, ALTHOUGH THE MAN BELIEVED TO HAVE ORDERED THE KILLING REMAINS AT LARGE. PROSECUTORS CLAIMED CHECHEN SEPARATIST POLITICIAN KHODZH-AKHMET NUKHAYEV TOOK OUT THE CONTRACT ON 41-YEAR-OLD KLEBNIKOV IN APPARENT REVENGE FOR NEGATIVE REMARKS HE MADE ABOUT HIM IN A BOOK. THE JOURNALIST ALSO EXTENSIVELY REPORTED ON RUSSIA'S UNDERWORLD AND THE MURKY AFFAIRS OF ITS BUSINESS ELITE. WHILE CONTRACT KILLINGS ARE COMMON IN RUSSIA, KLEBNIKOV WAS THE FIRST WESTERN JOURNALIST TO BE TARGETED. RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES WERE UNDER PRESSURE FROM US AUTHORITIES TO SOLVE THE HIGH PROFILE CASE.
