The Litvinenko Inquiry

The Litvinenko Inquiry
Mr Menzies, Mr Goldfarb and Marina Litvinenko all told me that they were satisfied
that Mr Litvinenko agreed with the content of the statement. I would add in this
regard that the statement is consistent with views expressed by Mr Litvinenko to
others at around this time, notably in his police interviews
Alexander Litvinenko’s death
3.146 Tuesday 21 November and Wednesday 22 November were the last days that
Mr Litvinenko was conscious. He had lost consciousness by Thursday 23 November
and died that evening.
3.147 At some point during this period Mr Zakayev brought an imam to Mr Litvinenko’s
bedside. The evidence of both Marina Litvinenko 184 and Mr Zakayev 185 was that
Mr Litvinenko, who had been baptised into the Russian Orthodox church, had expressed
a desire to convert to Islam after talking with Mr Zakayev about his faith whilst he was
still in Barnet Hospital. Mr Zakayev spoke the shahada with Mr Litvinenko, and later
arranged the visit of the imam to UCH, with Marina Litvinenko’s consent. Mr Zakayev’s
evidence to me was that he believed Mr Litvinenko died as a Muslim.
3.148 Mr Litvinenko’s father, Walter, travelled from Russia and arrived at the hospital on
21 November.
3.149 As Marina Litvinenko was leaving Mr Litvinenko’s bedside on the evening of
22 November, he told her that he loved her. 186 Those proved to be the last words that
he spoke to her. He remained unconscious throughout the next day.
3.150 Mr Litvinenko suffered a fatal cardiac arrest at 8.51pm on 23 November. The evidence
of Mr Down, an intensive care consultant on duty at UCH that evening, was that
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was commenced but was terminated when
it became clear that Mr Litvinenko would not regain spontaneous cardiac output.
Mr Down pronounced life extinct at 9.21pm that evening. He confirmed that
Mr Litvinenko died from multiple organ failure including progressive heart failure. 187
184
Marina Litvinenko 4/69-71
185
Zakayev 26/157-159
186
Marina Litvinenko 4/73
187
Down 18/144
44