A senior New York City official briefed by the medical examiner’s office says Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations died last month from a heart attack and no foul play was suspected.
The official was not authorized to reveal the cause of death and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday.
The New York City medical examiner’s office, citing diplomatic protocol, said Friday it was instructed not to publicly release the cause and manner of death for Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who died suddenly last month after collapsing in his office.
A spokesman for Russia’s U.N. Mission said they regarded the decision not to publicly release the cause of death as one that “fully complies with the principles of inviolability of private life and diplomatic immunity.”
—Associated Press writers Jonathan Lemire and Colleen Long contributed.
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