Former policemen face murder trial

KIEV, Ukraine, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Three former Ukraine police officers went on trial in the capital Kiev, accused in the slaying of Georgiy Gongadze, a noted opposition journalist.

Gongadze, a strong critic of former President Leonid Kuchma, died five years ago. His killing set off huge public protest leading to last year's Orange Revolution and the fall of the Kuchma regime.

President Viktor Yushchenko, who came to power later, says the case is a top priority for him, reports the BBC.

Gongadze was abducted and his headless body was discovered later in a forest.

Last year a parliamentary commission accused the former president as being one of the organizers of Gongadze's kidnapping, the report said. But he has denied any involvement.