MOSCOW, September 18 (RAPSI) – Former policeman Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, who was sentenced to 11 years in connection with the murder of prominent Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, on Wednesday testified against the other accused and explained their involvement in the crime.

“My role was to set up the surveillance, Lom-Ali Gaitukayev and Sergei Khadzhikurbanov were the organizers and Rustam Makhmudov carried out the hit,” – Pavlyuchenkov testified. He added that he knew of Ibragim and Dzhabrail Makhmudov, but never met them personally.

Pavlyuchenkov said that Gaitukayev gave him $150,000 most of which he, in turn, later gave to Khadzhikurbanov who wanted to control the operation’s financing.

Pavlyuchenkov then added that he took a pistol wrapped in cloth from his acquaintance and later gave it to Rustam Makhmudov.

The witness insisted that the was tasked only with surveillance, and that he didn’t knew that it would result in murder, although he had some suspicions. Pavlyuchenkov said he deduced that the weapon he gave Makhudov would be used in a murder, but he didn’t know that the target would be Politkovskaya.

Politkovskaya, a journalist for the opposition-minded Novaya Gazeta, was shot and killed in her apartment building on October 7, 2006. Her murder is believed by some to be linked to her groundbreaking coverage of human rights abuses in Chechnya.