Acid Attack Accused Was A "Pawn" Say Bolshoi Ballet Colleagues

Dancers at the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia have appealed to their President Vladimir Putin, to order a brand new inquest into the acid attack on their artistic director Sergei Filin.

One of their fellow artists, Pavel Dmitrichenko confessed to being involved in the plot, but other members of the Bolshoi are convinced that he only confessed because of police pressure and fear that he may simply be a “pawn” in the case, Reuters reports.

In a letter addressed to Putin, the dancers stressed “The conclusions of the investigation appear to us hasty and the proof unconvincing, and the confessions of Pavel himself a result of harsh pressure he was put under” and added “We are asking for an honest and unbiased investigation into the tragedy that happened to Sergei Filin.” Both Filin himself and the management of the Bolshoi appear to be of the understanding that Dmitrichenko acted on someone else’s orders, in organizing the attack, during which a jar of acid was thrown in Filin’s face, outside of his apartment in Moscow.

The Moscow police have declined to comment on the matter. Dmitrichenko’s lawyer has said that he is willing to accept a plea bargain but is not prepared to accept full responsibility for the crime. The long-term manager of the ballet, Anatoly Iksanov is quoted as saying “There are an entire series of facts that suggest that someone else may have ordered the attack, maybe someone from outside of the theatre, and investigators should look into that.”

The Bolshoi Ballet Acid Attack Story Is Rumbling On