Investigators have dropped a criminal case against transportation police and the heads of companies working in Domodedovo airport at the time of a terrorist bombing at the airport in January of last year, the Investigative Committee said in a statement Friday.
The case was dropped because there was no legislation in place regulating security requirements for transit centers at the time of the attack, the statement said.
Following the suicide bombing that killed 37 people on Jan. 24 of last year, President Dmitry Medvedev pinned blame on Domodedovo management and vowed to hold them responsible for what he called lax security at the airport.
Investigators subsequently opened a case against former head of security for the airport Alexander Trushanin and two of his deputies and against the head of the Russian representative office of the company that owns Domodedovo, Igor Borisov, and his deputy, among others.
A lawyer familiar with the case told Kommersant that it was inevitably going to be closed.
"The case had to be stopped sooner or later, since it was obvious from the very beginning that it was not the fault of the business owners that a suicide bomber passed through the police-guarded airport and blew himself up," the lawyer said.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
