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From 1998, Deputy Prime Minister. From the start of the Second Chechen War, commander of a special operations brigade.

In March 2000, wounded and evacuated from Chechnya.

From 2001, Special Representative of President Aslan Maskhadov.

A request to Interpol for Zakayev’s extradition was issued by the Russian Prosecutor-General’s Office. This led to his arrest for the first time on October 30, 2002 in Copenhagen. On December 3, 2002 he was freed by the Danish courts, which refused extradition on the grounds of inadequate evidence. On December 5, 2002 Zakayev arrived in London, where he was again arrested at Heathrow Airport but released on bail three hours later. After a number of technical sessions, the hearing of the case began at Bow Street Magistrates Court in London on June 9, 2003.

* * *

A short Chechen advances towards the witness box to the right of the judge. His legs are unnaturally straight and he is forcing his recalcitrant feet forward, trying not to look at anybody and doing his best to conceal the difficulty he has in walking. This is Duk-Vakha Dushuyev. Though we are in London, the Second Chechen War has trained me to recognise the problem immediately: Duk-Vakha walks exactly the way many other men in Chechnya do who have survived the “anti-terrorist operation” but been left with limbs first fractured and then badly set.

“What do I have to swear on?” the witness asks the translator, reaching the stand, and his smile doesn’t seem real. It is mask-like. “On the Bible or the Quran?”

“As you please.”

Having taken the oath, Duk-Vakha explains that he was born in 1968, so he is only 35, although he looks nearer 50.

Barrister Edward Fitzgerald, QC, begins the cross-examination for Zakayev’s defence:

“Did you testify against Mr Zakayev on December 2, 2002?”

“Yes.”

“Is this the testimony?”

Duk-Vakha is shown the case materials sent to London by the Prosecutor-General’s Office and confirms to the court that this is the record of his own questioning in Grozny by Junior Judicial Counsellor Konstantin Krivorotov, Investigator of Particularly Serious Cases of the Chechen Prosecutor’s Office. It reads:

“In approximately October 1996 I learned that it would be possible to become a bodyguard in the Ministry of Culture of the Chechen Republic. For approximately four months I took shifts guarding the building of the Ministry of Culture. In approximately February 1997 (name obliterated) invited me to work as Zakayev’s bodyguard. I agreed and from February 1997 to February 2000 was beside Zakayev virtually all the time. On one of Zakayev’s visits to Urus Martan, I was tasked with accompanying him together with (obliterated). Even before this I had observed a white metal chain worn by (obliterated) on his trousers. I asked him where he got this chain, to which (obliterated) replied that he had taken it from an Orthodox priest who had worn an Orthodox cross on it. (Obliterated) told me that in 1995 two priests had arrived in Urus Martan to negotiate the release of Russian servicemen. Zakayev ordered that the priests should be kidnapped with the aim of obtaining ransom of $500,000 to finance weapons and equipment for the resistance fighters.

“Carrying out Zakayev’s orders, (obliterated) recruited five or six members of Zakayev’s bodyguard to take part in the kidnapping. In order to implement the plan successfully (obliterated) himself changed clothes and had his subordinates change into militia uniforms. I asked (obliterated) who could pay such a huge amount for freeing the priests, to which I received the reply that the Pope was prepared to pay $1 million, and also $500,000 had been promised by [Russian Orthodox] Patriarch Alexiy II. I understood from his account that Zakayev failed to obtain the ransom. From the beginning of the counter-terrorist operation, that is from 1999, Zakayev was in charge of the so-called Chernorechiye Front which offered armed resistance to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the approaches to Grozny. During that period I was constantly beside Zakayev. We offered