{"id":66687,"date":"2016-01-21T13:38:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-21T13:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=7d870bea32149de033cf22caf45cba6f"},"modified":"2016-01-21T15:17:56","modified_gmt":"2016-01-21T15:17:56","slug":"statement-to-parliament-home-secretary-statement-on-litvinenko-inquiry-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=66687","title":{"rendered":"Statement to Parliament: Home Secretary statement on Litvinenko Inquiry report"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated:<\/em> Added translation<\/p>\n

\n

With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement about the death of
\nAlexander Litvinenko on 23 November 2006, and the statutory Inquiry into that
\ndeath, which published its findings this morning. <\/p>\n

Mr Litvinenko\u2019s death was a deeply shocking event. Despite the ongoing police
\ninvestigation, and the efforts of the Crown Prosecution Service, those responsible
\nhave still not been brought to justice. <\/p>\n

In July 2014 I established a statutory Inquiry in order to investigate the
\ncircumstances surrounding Mr Litvinenko\u2019s death, to determine responsibility for his
\ndeath, and to make recommendations. It was chaired by Sir Robert Owen, a retired
\nsenior High Court judge. And it had the Government\u2019s full support, and access to any
\nrelevant material, regardless of its sensitivity. <\/p>\n

I welcome the Inquiry\u2019s report today, and I would like to put on record my thanks to
\nSir Robert Owen for his detailed, thorough, and impartial investigation into this
\ncomplex and serious matter. Although the Inquiry cannot assign civil or criminal liability, I hope that these findings provide some clarity for Alexander Litvinenko\u2019s family, friends, and all those affected by his death. I would particularly like to pay tribute to Mrs Marina Litvinenko and her tireless efforts to get to the truth. <\/p>\n

The independent Inquiry has found that Mr Litvinenko died on 23 November 2006,
\nhaving suffered a cardiac arrest as a result of acute radiation syndrome, caused by his ingesting polonium 210 on 1 November 2006. <\/p>\n

He ingested the fatal dose of Polonium 210 while drinking tea at the Pine Bar of the
\nMillennium Hotel on the afternoon of 1 November 2006. The Inquiry \u2013 which in the
\ncourse of its investigations has considered \u201can abundance of evidence\u201d \u2013 has found
\nthat Mr Litvinenko was deliberately poisoned by Andrey Lugovoy and Dmitri Kovtun,
\nwho he had met at the Millennium Hotel on the afternoon of that day. <\/p>\n

The Inquiry has also found that Lugovoy and Kovtun were acting on behalf of others
\nwhen they poisoned Mr Litvinenko. There is a strong probability that they were acting
\nunder the direction of the Russian domestic security service \u2013 the Federal Security
\nService or FSB. And the Inquiry has found that the FSB operation to kill Mr
\nLitvinenko was probably approved by Mr Patrushev, the then head of the FSB, and
\nby President Putin. <\/p>\n

The Government takes these findings extremely seriously \u2013 as I am sure does every
\nmember of this House. We are carefully considering the report\u2019s findings in detail,
\nand their implications. In particular, the conclusion that the Russian state was
\nprobably involved in the murder of Mr Litvinenko is deeply disturbing. It goes without
\nsaying that this was a blatant and unacceptable breach of the most fundamental
\ntenets of international law and of civilised behaviour. But we have to accept this does
\nnot come as a surprise. The Inquiry confirms the assessment of successive
\ngovernments that this was a state sponsored act. This assessment has informed the
\nGovernment\u2019s approach to date. <\/p>\n

Since 2007 that approach has comprised a series of steps to respond to Russia and its provocation. Some of these measures were immediate, such as the expulsion of a
\nnumber of Russian embassy officials from the UK. Others are ongoing, such as the
\ntightening of visa restrictions on Russian officials in the UK. The Metropolitan Police
\nService\u2019s investigation into Mr Litvinenko\u2019s murder remains open. And I can tell the
\nHouse today Interpol notices and European Arrest Warrants are in place so that the
\nmain suspects, Andrey Lugovoy and Dmitri Kovtun, can be arrested if they travel
\nabroad. <\/p>\n

In light of the report\u2019s findings the Government will go further, and Treasury Ministers
\nhave today agreed to put in place asset freezes against the two individuals. <\/p>\n

At the time the independent Crown Prosecution Service formally requested the
\nextradition of Mr Lugovoy from Russia. Russia refused to comply with this request \u2013
\nand has consistently refused to do so ever since. It is now almost ten years since Mr
\nLitvinenko was killed. Sir Robert Owen is unequivocal in his finding that Andrey
\nLugovoy and Dmitri Kovtun killed him. In light of this most serious finding, Russia\u2019s
\ncontinued failure to ensure that the perpetrators of this terrible crime can be brought
\nto justice is unacceptable. I have written to the Director of Public Prosecutions this
\nmorning asking her to consider whether any further action should be taken, both in
\nterms of extradition and freezing criminal assets. These decisions are, of course, a
\nmatter for the independent Crown Prosecution Service. But the Government remains
\ncommitted to pursuing justice in this case. <\/p>\n

We have always made our position clear to the Russian government and in the
\nstrongest possible terms and we are doing so again today. We are making senior
\nrepresentations to the Russian Government in Moscow. And at the same time we will
\nbe summoning the Russian Ambassador in London to the Foreign Office, where we
\nwill express our profound displeasure at Russia\u2019s failure to co-operate and provide
\nsatisfactory answers. Specifically, we have, and will continue to demand that the
\nRussian Government account for the role of the FSB in this case. <\/p>\n

The threat posed by hostile states is one of the most sensitive issues that I deal with
\nas Home Secretary. Although not often discussed in public, our security and
\nintelligence agencies have always \u2013 dating back to their roots in the First and
\nSecond World Wars \u2013 had the protection of the UK from state threats at the heart of
\ntheir mission. This means countering those threats in all their guises \u2013 whether from
\nassassinations, cyber attacks, or more traditional espionage. By its nature this work
\nis both less visible and necessarily more secret than the police and the agencies\u2019
\nwork against the terrorist threat, but it is every bit as important to the long-term
\nsecurity and prosperity of the United Kingdom. <\/p>\n

The House will appreciate that I cannot go into detail about how we seek to protect
\nourselves from hostile state acts. But we make full use of the measures at our
\ndisposal from investigatory powers right through to the visa system. And the case of
\nMr Litvinenko demonstrates once again why it is so vital that the intelligence
\nagencies maintain their ability to detect and disrupt such threats. <\/p>\n

The environment in which espionage and hostile state intelligence activities take
\nplace is changing. Evolving foreign state interests and rapid technological advances
\nmean it is imperative we respond. Last November the Chancellor announced that we
\nwill make new funding available to the security and intelligence agencies to provide
\nfor an additional 1,900 officers. And, in the same month, I published the draft Investigatory Powers Bill so that we can ensure that the intelligence agencies\u2019
\ncapabilities keep pace with the threat and technology, while at the same time
\nimproving the oversight of and safeguards for the use of investigatory powers. <\/p>\n

In the Government\u2019s recently published National Security Strategy and the Strategic
\nDefence and Security Review, we set out the range of threats to the UK and our
\nallies \u2013 including from Russia \u2013 and our comprehensive approach to countering
\nthese threats. Since the publication of the previous SDSR in 2010, Russia has
\nbecome more authoritarian, aggressive, and nationalist. Russia\u2019s illegal annexation
\nof Crimea and its destabilising actions in Ukraine have directly challenged security in
\nthe region. These actions have also served as a sobering demonstration of Russia\u2019s
\nintent to try to undermine European Security, and the rules-based international order.
\nIn response, the UK, in conjunction with international partners, has imposed a
\npackage of robust measures against Russia. This includes sanctions against key
\nRussian individuals, including Mr. Patrushev who is currently the Secretary to the
\nRussian Security Council. <\/p>\n

This Government is clear that we must protect the UK and her interests from Russia- based threats, working closely with our allies in the EU and NATO. This morning I have written to my counterparts in EU, NATO and 5 Eyes countries drawing their attention to both the report and the need to take steps to prevent such a murder being committed on their streets. <\/p>\n

We will continue to call on President Putin, for Russia, as one of the five permanent
\nmembers of the United Nations Security Council, to engage responsibly and make a
\npositive contribution to global security and stability. They can, for example, play an
\nimportant role in defeating Daesh, and \u2013 together with the wider international community \u2013 help Syria work towards a stable future. <\/p>\n

We face some of the same challenges \u2013 from serious crime to aviation security. And
\nwe will continue to engage, guardedly, with Russia where it is strictly necessary to do
\nso to support the UK\u2019s national interest. <\/p>\n

Mr Speaker, Sir Robert Owen\u2019s report contains one recommendation within the
\nclosed section of his report. Honourable Members and Rt Honourable Members will appreciate that I cannot reveal details of that recommendation in this House. But I can assure them that the Government will respond to the Inquiry Chair on that recommendation in due course.<\/p>\n

Finally, I would like to reiterate the Government\u2019s determination to continue to seek
\njustice for the murder of Mr Litvinenko. I would like to repeat my thanks to Sir Robert
\nOwen and, in particular, Marina Litvinenko. As Sir Robert says in his Report, she has
\nshown \u201cdignity and composure\u201d and \u201chas demonstrated a quiet determination to
\nestablish the true facts of her husband\u2019s death that is greatly to be commended.\u201d <\/p>\n

Mr Litvinenko\u2019s murder was a truly terrible event. I sincerely hope that for the sake of Marina and Anatoly Litvinenko, for the sake of Mr Litvinenko\u2019s wider family and
\nfriends, and for the sake of justice, those responsible can be brought to trial.
\nI commend this statement to the House. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Home Secretary Theresa May: Government statement to Parliament on the publication of the \u2018Report into the death of Alexander Litvinenko’.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66687"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=66687"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66697,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66687\/revisions\/66697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=66687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=66687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=66687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}