Anna Politkovskaya was murdered on October 7, 2006

Today Russian prosecutors charged the former head of Chechnya's Achkhoi-Martan District with complicity in the murder of Anna Politkovskaya. Shamil Burayev was detained on September 12. Mr. Burayev's lawyer, Pyotr Kozakov, spoke with the Associated Press and Russia's Interfax News Agency on Friday. Mr. Kozakov said that his client is innocent and intends to defend his good name.

According to the AP: "Burayev was the head of Chechnya's Achkoi-Martan district administration for eight years until 2003, when he was fired by then-Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov [father of the current Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov]. He also ran for president of the region."

Last month Russian Prosecutors detained eleven suspects in the murder of Politkovskaya. Two of the detainees have since been released, and one of the other suspects, former FSB Lt. Col. Pavel Riaguzov, is now being prosecuted on unrelated corruption charges.