Ben Emmerson

It was a crass and clumsy gesture from an increasingly isolated tin pot despot, a morally deranged authoritarian who was at that very moment clinging desperately onto political power in the face of international sanctions and a rising chorus of international condemnation, after years of negotiation and appeasement, the world has lost its patience now with Mr Putin's judo politics and his cringing hard-man photo opportunities.

The same scientific evidence ultimately proves beyond doubt that the murder was commissioned by the Russian state.

As a matter of international law, the U.S. is legally obliged to bring those responsible to justice, the U.S. Attorney General is under a legal duty to bring criminal charges against those responsible.

It is now time to take action. The individuals responsible for the criminal conspiracy revealed in today's report must be brought to justice, and must face criminal penalties commensurate with the gravity of their crimes.

The fact that the policies revealed in this report were authorized at a high level within the U.S. government provides no excuse whatsoever. Indeed, it reinforces the need for criminal accountability.