3 plead not guilty in journalist slay case

MOSCOW, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- A former police officer and two others charged with killing Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya have pleaded not guilty, attorneys say.

Former policeman Sergei Khadzhikurbanov and two Chechen brothers, Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov, say they were not involved in the shooting death of Politkovskaya in October 2006 in Moscow, RIA Novosti reported Wednesday.

The three have been in custody since August, but investigators have not revealed what they believe to be their roles in the crime were. The man suspected of actually shooting the journalist, Rustam Makhmudov -- the eldest of the three Makhmudov brothers -- remains at large, the news agency said.

"The defendants said they have nothing to hide and will give all necessary evidence," defense attorney Murad Musayev told reporters, adding 98 percent of the indictment is made up of "conjectures and assumptions."

Politkovskaya had gained international recognition for her crusading journalism targeting the Kremlin's handling of reported military atrocities against civilians in Chechnya.