Russian investigators have defended their treatment of a lawyer whose death in a Moscow prison last week has prompted deep concern and criticism.
Sergei Magnitsky was arrested in November 2008 on tax-evasion accusations linked to his work with a company headed by a high-profile investor who has been barred from Russia as an alleged security risk.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday ordered a high-level probe into Magnitsky's death.
Colleagues say Magnitsky entered jail healthy and died after being denied medical attention despite repeated pleas.
A spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry's Investigative Committee claimed Wednesday that investigators did not know Magnitsky was ill and suggested that he felt fine before his death.
