Amnesty International condemns the murder of human rights journalist
Anna Politkovskaia
Amnesty International is shocked, saddened and deeply angered by the
murder of Anna Politkovskaia, Russian human rights defender and
journalist.
Amnesty International believes that Anna Politkovskaia was targeted
because of her work as a journalist, reporting on human rights abuses in
Chechnya and other regions of the Russian Federation.
«Amnesty International is appalled by the murder of Anna Politkovskaia,»
said Nicola Duckworth, Director of the organization´s Europe and Central
Asia Programme. «Russia has lost a brave and dedicated human rights
defender, who spoke out fearlessly against violence and injustice, and
campaigned tirelessly to see justice done.»
Amnesty International calls on the Russian authorities to investigate her
murder thoroughly and impartially, to make the findings of the
investigation public and for suspected perpetrators to be brought to
justice in accordance with international law.
Amnesty International also urges the government of the Russian Federation
to take urgent steps to ensure that all human rights defenders and
independent journalists in Russia, including those working in the North
Caucasus region, are able to carry out their activities in safety and
without fear of harassment or intimidation.
Amnesty International extends its deepest sympathy to Anna Politkovskaia´s
family.
Background
According to media reports, a police official stated that a neighbour had
found Anna Politkovskaia shot dead in a lift in the block of flats where
she lived in Moscow at 5.10pm on 7 October 2006. According to the reports,
the office of the procurator has opened a criminal investigation into
«premeditated murder».
Russian journalist and human rights defender Anna Politkovskaia had
reported about the human rights situation in Chechnya since 1999 for the
newspaper Novaia Gazeta (New Newspaper). Her fearless and dedicated
coverage of the conflict had been acknowledged through numerous awards
including the Global Award for Human Rights Journalism from Amnesty
International UK in 2001. She had also written extensively about abuses in
other parts of Russia such as violence in the army, corruption in state
structures, and police brutality.
Anna Politkovskaia faced intimidation and harassment from the Russian and
Chechen authorities due to her outspoken criticism of government policy
and action. She had been detained and threatened with serious reprisals
for her reporting on several occasions, including being detained in June
2004 for several hours in Tsenteroi, Chechnya, at the house of Ramzan
Kadyrov, now Prime Minister of Chechnya, where she says she was verbally
abused and threatened. She was also reportedly prevented from travelling
to Beslan, North Ossetia, in September 2004 during the hostage crisis
there; she believed she had been deliberately poisoned on a plane from
Moscow to Rostov-on-Don when she lost consciousness after drinking a cup
of tea on the flight.
