Posts Tagged ‘Chechnya’
The Farcical Trial of Anna Politkovskaya’s Killers
Anna Politkovskaya: Murdered in 2006
The trial of several men charged with the murder of Anna Politkovskaya began in Moscow today, but according to Politkovskaya’s supporters it is highly doubtful whether the real killers will actually be brought to justice.
As Russian Journalist Grigory Pasko told the BBC: “How can you say the investigation is complete if you have neither the killer nor the person who ordered it in the dock?”
Politkovskaya, who wrote for Russia’s Novaya Gazeta, was shot as she left her home in October 2006. Her articles were highly critical of the Kremlin and revealed human rights abuses and corruption during Russia’s two recent wars with Chechnya.
The type of journalism that Politkovskaya practised epitomises what the press is for: to critically scrutinise those in positions of power; to shed light on what others would keep hidden; to act as a spokesperson for those who have had their freedom of speech taken away.
For these reasons, this courageous woman deserves real justice, not a farcical trial.
