RightsBase

A year after the assassination of esteemed Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, nine people have been charged with involvement in the murder.

One of them is a lieutenant-colonel in Russia’s secret service.  It is alleged Pavel Ryaguzov gave Politkovskaya’s home address to another of the suspects, who in turn gave it to her killer.  The 48 year-old mother-of-two was shot in her apartment building in central Moscow on 7 October 2006.

Despite the alleged involvement of the Federal Security Service, Prosecutor-General Yuri Chaika claims it was not an inside job.  He has blamed ‘a crime ring of Chechen origin’ trying to discredit the Kremlin and destablise Russia.

Reporters Without Borders is concerned that this may be scapegoating that will divert attention from those inside Russia who had an interest in silencing Politkovskaya and who ought to be investigated.

Politkovskaya’s editor at Novaya Gazeta newspaper has described the prosecutor’s account as "more political than judicial."  Chaika denies being subject to political pressure.

Politkovskaya had written extensively on Russian human rights violations in Chechnya.

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